Journalism of Courage
15 years since their relocation to Mundhwa,the kumbhars still fight hard to capture markets and better their trade
A blue polythene bag partially covers the huge idol of Lord Ganesha. In its background,several tin-roofed houses are visible. It’s 4 pm – siesta time at the Kumbharwada locality in Keshav Nagar,Mundhwa. In 1997,close to 100 families were relocated to this area from Kasba Peth by the Pune Municipal Corporation. Now,as the community comes close to completing 15 years in Mundhwa,their struggle to better their business still continues.
But not many boast of a network like this. In the far end of the lane,stands 64-year-old potter Gyaneshwar Shinde’s little house. More than a hundred earthenware cups lie in front of him,waiting to dry in the afternoon sun. He smiles as you ask him about his work. “I was seven years old when I started doing this. The work station here is very good. We have ample space to make a lot of stuff. But most of it is made only for wholesale markets. No customer walks in here. We don’t have anyone to sit and sell our wares in Kasba Peth,” he says.
Shinde makes close to 50 pots in a day. His work starts at 4 am and he uses the same old tools that his grandfather used. By about 8 pm,he wraps up. Shinde is one of the few potters at Mundhwa who still work with mud. Most have shifted to using Plaster of Paris.
Follow the sound of a motorised wheel and one reaches Datta Shinde’s house. Shinde’s is the first house in the community. As one walks in,an idol of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj greets one. “We started work on this motorised wheel some five years ago. It makes our work easier,but we need the mechanical wheel too. The big pots have to be made on the mechanical wheel.”
The community has accepted its shift to Mundhwa. Each house has tried to sell its craft and earn a living. But many are worried about how far they are from the main retail hub. “Most of the things being sold in Kasba Peth now come from Delhi,Rajasthan and Siliguri. It’s not entirely our market now,” says Gyaneshwar as he adds dry mud in the mould and continues with his hard work.
