A traditional profession is a
religion in itself. Followers of this
profession have their own tenets with its inherent ethical propensity towards
their job. This principle is ensconced
in one of the Vachanas of Saint Basavanna, who is a 12th Century
Statesman, Philosopher and Kannada Poet. Vachanas means: those words which are said
and written rhythmically.‘ Kayakave kailasavaaya’ (ಕಾಯಕವೇ ಕೈಲಾಸವಯ್ಯಾ), is the Vachana referred. This means: ‘Work is worship’.
Benjamin Franklin says, “Example
is the school of mankind”. We can deduce
that such exemplary actions or creations led to the emergence of inter-dependent
specific groups of professions, say tillers of sea and land, archers,
oil-pressers, weavers, smiths, and many traditional artisans. Potters are traditional artisans, whose
existence is known from the figures and pot-shreds found in Sindhu excavations.
Tuluva Potters
Pot-makers of Tulu Nadu
are called as ‘Moolye, Odari, Kumbaara or kumbar, kusave (ku+sa+ve = one
who works with mud and water) and Handa. They are toilers in earth or soil (Mannu
in Tulu & Kannada) and water. As a
dignified nomenclature, they are also known as Kulala (ku = earth + ala = water
and/or man), tracing their origin to Kulalan, the son of Lord Brahma. Potter’s
chakra or wheel of creation is proverbial.
So, they also call themselves as ‘Chakrashali’ (word coined on
the line of Padmashali, the weaver’s class), i.e. one who possesses Chakra
as ones implement (for his creative job). In Kannada, they are called as Kumbāra,
Tamil Kusave, Telugu Kummara, Orissa Kumbaro, Sanskrit Kumbhakāra and Northern
India Prajapati. They are all Hindus,
following either Vishnu or Shiva.
It is a belief that
potters of Tulu Nadu are from Telugu and Kannada speaking areas (as also quoted
by H.A. Stuart). Usually, Telugu potters are followers of
Vishnu, excepting Lingayat potters, who bury their dead.
Tuluva potters’ mother
tongue is Tulu. They follow ‘Aliya
Santana Kattu’, i.e. matrilineal system of inheritance. They have the same Tulu culture and follow
Bari System as Mogaveeras, Billavas, etc., say Bangera, Karkera, Kunder, Salian,
Suvarna and so on (besides Moolya, a community-marker surname).
Significance of Moolya
Why in Tulu Nadu a
pot-maker is called ‘Moolya’? Normally,
one is ashamed of being called by
caste-name (This applies to call castes).
First thing that occurs to one’s mind is that ‘Moolya’ stands for
‘valuable’. It is an adjective and a
noun, meaning ‘Value’. (The writer pities those parents who are now fond of
naming their children by adjective word). The caste name ‘Moolya’ has a
specific connotation. We all belong to
this Mother Earth, wherefrom we all
spring and merge but are not called as ‘Moolya’. He is
a man of the earth and always toils with it in an open space of a village or in
colony of pottersin a corner (= Moole). One
who lives in a ‘moole’ is came to be
known as ‘moolye’. This is in one
sense. In another sense, ‘moola’ means
‘original’. As Lord Brahma creates many
types of living beings, a potter too moulds and creates pots of different
shapes for different uses. So, he
becomes the originator (Moolye). This is the reason why potters of Northern
India call themselves as ‘Prajapati’ (Creator). He is an artist on his own
right. He creates, sustains and destroys.Analogy of shristhi, sthiti and
laya is hidden in ‘Moolya’. This is the ‘tripadi’ (a poem of three
lines) of a human existence. We remember
here Kannada Poet and Saint Sarvajna, who composed many poems in Tripadi
metre. He is from a potter’s
family. Karnataka Government has erected
a statue of him at Bengaluru.
Origin
Some members of the
potter’s community call themselves Kulala Vaishnavas as against Tamil and
Kannada Kusave/Kusavans and Kumbaaras, who worship Lord Shiva. They claim their descent from Kulala(n), the
son of Lord Brahma. Kulala was fond of
creating things and destroying them daily.
So, Brahma made him a potter, to be the progenitor of Pot-maker’s
community.
All the potters claim an
impure Brahmanical descent. Edgar
Thurston records this collected story in his Book ‘Castes and Tribes of
Southern India (Vol.4)’. His source
was H. A. Stuart: Madras Census Report, 1891 & Manual of
North Arcot District – Stuart, IV-8). The
concise story is given below:
“A learned Brahmin, after long study, has discovered
the day and hour in which he might beget a mighty offspring. After a long wait
for the opportune time, he sets for the house of his selected bride but could
not make it. Being obstructed by a flood, he stops at a potter’s house en route and marries the daughter of his
host to seize the opportunity of ‘auspicious time’. He begets a celebrated son Shālivāhana. He develops a knack for
pottery and makes many earthen figures of mounted warriors right from
childhood and hides them in a place. When Vikramarka invaded Southern India, he
ordered the people to supply him with pots for his army. People appeals to Shalivahana. Miraculously infusing life
into his clay figures, he leads them to battle against the enemy and wins the
battle.The country (Mysore) falls into his hands. Eventually, he was left as its ruler and
became the ancestor of the early Mysore Rajas.
“
(Source:
H.A. Stuart: Madras Census Report, 1891
& Manual of North Arcot District – Stuart, IV-8)
Hard-work
The efforts put in by a
potter is typified in the following proverb in Tulu and Kannada “ಕುಂಬಾರಗು/ ಕುಂಬಾರಗೆ ವರುಷ, ದೊಣ್ಣೆಗು/ದೊಣ್ಣೆಗೆ ನಿಮಿಷ” (Kumbaargu/Kumbarage varusha, donnegu/donnege
nimisha). This means: “What is made in a
year by a potter is destroyed by a stick in a minute, meaning within no times”.
This depicts the vulnerability of his products.
Quirk of fate may leave these simple folks destitute. That is why some
families always live in a state of poverty by ignorance of availability of good
raw material and market.
Stages of pot-making
They are:
1) Collecting suitable clay, i.e. sticky soil (jedi
mannu/āve mannu or mudar (= soft) mannu in Tulu):
A variety of mud is used in pot making. We find
this soil deposited in water-logged low field (Patla Kanda in Tulu) due
to flood and on stream (‘Tār’ in Tulu) and river beds. It is said that such soil, digged at a depth
of 6 ft. below stream or river, is very good. As reported, Uppinangadi and
ManEl (now Malali near Puraal, aka Polali – 3 km away from Gurupura-Kaikamba in
Mangaluru) areas are famous for availability of such soft earth and hence, the
preponderance of potter-families there. Jedi Mannu (potters clay) mixed with parel
mannu (= maralu mannu, i.e. fine
sandy soil) is perfect soft soil (āve mannu) for pot-making. Now, there is a demand for reverting the
village name Malali to ManEl by locals to preserve its meanigfulness.
2) Powdering lump of earth, sieving & burning:
Lump of ave mannu is
to be beaten to powder. This powdered soil then is sieved to separate pebbles,
stones and other coarse matters, before burning.
3) Soaking, thumping and softening mud:
To make the soil soft and
pliable, it is to be soaked in water.
Soaked mud is thumped or pounded by legs. This soil is to be kept for 2 to 3 days for
seasoning. This well-ground softened
soil is called ‘are mannu’ in Tulu.
There is a wise-saying in Tulu: “ಅಳಪ್ಪೆರ ತೆರಿಯಂದಿನಾಯೆ ಆಚಾರಿ ಅತ್ತ್,
ಮೇಲಿಪ್ಪೆರೆ ತೆರಿಯಂದಿನಾಯೆ ಓಡಾರಿ ಅತ್ತ್” (Alappere teriyandināye aachari att, melippere teriyandināye odari att). This means: A carpenter must know
how to take measurements.
Likewise, a potter must
be skilled in mixing clay well with water and knead it into a mass by
thumping. If they are not skilled in
their respective jobs, then they are not fit to be called as ‘Aachari
(carpenter) and ‘Odari’ (Potter).
‘Are mannu’ is very precious for a potter and he never let it go waste. It is a matter of pride to him. This trait is
epitomized in a Tulu wise-saying: “Odari ‘are’ budaaye, ‘aritarayi’ madyale
budaaye”, which means, a potter is very much conscious not to waste the
well beaten and softened soil (= are), just like a washer-man who never
forgets to take rice and coconut (ari & tārayi) offered in a
ceremony, which he officiates. (Read the explanation given in our
Post-395/25.12.2017: A matter of cleansing).
4) Using potter’s
wheel (Kulala Chakra):
In Tulu, potter’s wheel is called as ‘tigari/tagori and
gaali. Monier Williams (Sanskrit) Dictionary describes potter’s apparatus
as “a simple circular horizontal well-balanced fly-wheel, generally 2 or 3 feet
in diameter, which can be made to rotate by slight impulse. The
potter loads it with clay lump and then, with a few easy sweeps and turns of
his hands, he moulds his material into beautiful curves and symmetrical shapes
and leaves his products of skill to
bake in the Sun.” (Source: Madras Pottery Journal, Indian Arts VII, 1897
as quoted in Castes & Tribes of Southern India).
His product varieties are:
·
kara (rice cooking vessel),
·
bisale (large-mouthed vessel for cooking vegetables, fish
and other preparations, mande (big vessel used for boiling bathing water, storing rice and
grains, etc.),
·
neeradyara/Korai
(a wide-mouthed used to clean
rice and filter or decant liquids,
·
bavade (lid for vessels),
·
gaddavu (half spherical small eating vessel with circular
leg),
·
toori/mutti (Sans: kalasha) (small vessels,
·
kooji/kooje (beaked water jug),
·
kundi (flower pot),
·
dose kavali (cake pan),
·
tibile (used for oil-wick-lighting at homes, temples and
during Deepavali, Festival Lights, etc.
5) Potter’s
kiln (Ave) and baking:
Potter marks-out a circular space, about 10 ft. dia., at
any convenient open space. Small pieces
of wood and dried sticks are spread over this space to a depth of six inches and
a layer of dried cow-dungs cakes are laid over the sticks. He piles up all sunbaked vessels carefully
over this platform of fuel to a height of 5 to 6 feet. This whole heap is then covered with
straw. This straw is plastered with clay
all over, leaving a few openings here and there. These openings allow the smoke to escape. Now the potter’s kiln is ready. He then fires the fuel at the bottom. He has to keep a watch that fire
does not die. Half-burnt vessels are useless. Baking process is complete during a few hours. Avedu
deevandi kara, uppuda kadaludu odedu chooraavu (=non-baked vessel in a kiln
breaks and dissolves in salty sea water).
6) Polishing
Techniques:
In some special vessels, potters make use of polish made
from seeds of Gyrocarpus Jacquini for polishing. “Another method employed for producing a
polish is to rub the surface with the mucilaginous juice of tuthi (Abutilon
Indicum) and then fire the vessel again” (ibidem). Such polished antique
potteries are found in cromlech (= a megalithic chamber tomb, dolmen, passage
grave).
Potters were skilled in making pyriform sepulchral
urns. In excavations, these are found in
Tinnevelly, Madura, Malabar and elsewhere.
Dr. G.U. Pope shows that these urns are mentioned about the burial of
heroes and kings as late as 18th Century AD.
Note: Common names of Gyrocarpus Jacquini:
Helicopter tree, Whirly Whirlytree burl, Stinkwood, Kannada: Kadu bende,
Tamil: Chaivavatala, Tanakku, Kadavai, Telugu: Tanuku, Hindi: Zaitun. (Source:
Wikipedia)
Marketing
A big rattan basket is tied to wooden plank. A potter stacks all his wares into this
basket.
Alternatively, he makes ‘kavadi’ of bamboo stick with nets fixed at both ends
for keeping vessels and carries it on his shoulder. Traditionally, he used to take
his earthen-wares on head load to weekly markets, which are held regularly in
different villages. He also sold his wares by going house to house in villages.
Now-a-days caste cooperative societies are providing market-platforms
for these products. These societies are based in a village, town, city and
State-wide).
Mulyadige (ಮೂಲ್ಯಾದಿಗೆ)
It is customary that some
members of the potter’s community are doing priestly work in Bhootasthana
(Shrine of Divine Spirits) during annual celebrations (known as Nema or
Kola). Duties include:
(1) Bringing masks and
other ornaments, etc. used in worship of deity,
(2) Acting as
Torch-bearers and
(3) Purification and
other rituals of the shrine.
They are called as ‘Moolyada
Pujari’ (Read our Post-314 on Billava Community). Besides potters, this title is also given to
people of other communities, say Mogaveeras, Billavas, Bunts, who are doing the
duties as said above as a convention.
They are also called as ‘Mukkaldi’.
Woes of Potters
Most of the potters,
sticking to their ancestral livelihood, are struggling under acute poverty
though there is demand for pottery, being consumer products. Reasons and problems are many:
·
With modern education, youth are not
interested in sparing their time for pot-making. Earlier, all family members were a part of
the pot-making ritual.
·
Scarcity of raw materials, i.e. suitable clay
(as nearby natural water courses are disturbed or nearly vanished) and burning
wood and straw.
·
Heavy cartage for transporting such materials
from distant places.
·
Demand is dwindling because of modern cooking
utensils (of alluminium or stainless steel).
·
Use of plastic vessels and decorative items
·
Pots are very brittle and needs care and
suitable warehousing before finding markets.
·
Difficulties in getting quick returns in
commensurate with efforts put in.
·
Besides traditional marketing, potter must
take his earthen-wares to different and distant places, entailing prohibitive
cost of transportation.
·
No Government subsidies and loan facilities
as are offered to other traditional artisans.
Community Organisations
Kulala Sangha is a
charitable trust, founded in 1929 in Mumbai, for the upliftment of
Kulalas. The primary object of the
Sangha is to promote education, spirit of fellowship and co-operation. Their mouth-piece Journal is ‘Amulya’. Their pet project of Kualala Bhavan – a
Convention Centre - and Students Hostel is under construction at Jeppu, Near
Mangaladevi Temple, Mangaluru.
There are many other
organisations at village, town and taluk levels in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada
and in other cities. Some are styled as
‘Kulala Sudharaka Sangha’.
Pot-making is a cottage
industry for livelihood. Educated youth
are not interested in continuing the ancestral art of making pots. As a stranger to this art, we do not know how
far these organisations help propagating this art. We have come across some ads in Internet by
some pottery labs (e.g. one at Bandra locality of Mumbai), offering teaching
the pot-making art. We suggest the
Kulala Sangha ear-marking a spot (instead of exhibition of visuals) for a workshop
and sale centre in unused land at the new Convention Centre, if not envisaged. This will create job opportunities to
under-privileged potter families. This amounts to encouragement by a Sangha,
besides arranging social events.
Food prepared
in earthen-wares are wholesome and tasty. This quality is reinvented, and
canteens, eateries and big hospitality industry have started cooking in
earthen-wares. So, demand for earthen pots is increasing. Water
stored in earthen jugs and vessels (madike/madka)
remains ice-cool and hence they are in much demand during summer. The
Sangha would do well by highlighting the healthy features
of earthen pots in visuals at exhibitions of pottery and on Convention Hall
walls.
Conclusion
As an artist,
potter is adept in giving shape of his choice to the mud. Knowledge
of his art is percolating down from his ancestors. His enthusiasm and
confidence are manifest from the following Tulu saying:
“ಯಾನ್ ಕಲ್ತಿನ ವಿದ್ಯೆಲಾ ಉಂಡು, ನಾಲೂರ್ ಮಣ್ಣುಲಾ ಉಂಡುನ್ದ್ ಓಡಾರಿ ಪಣ್ತೆಗೆ” (Yaan kaltina
vidyelaa undu, naalur mannulaa undund odaari pantege).
Potter says,
“There is abundance of clay in the Nature everywhere (Naalur mannu) and I have
mastered the knowledge and skill (Kaltina vidye). I have no worry of future."
Mark the grit and sincerity expressed in this saying. A potter would
survive despite vicissitudes in his life.
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