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Pottery Industry and community in dire straits

by Wennappuwa Central group correspondent

The pottery industry and the community is heading for extinction in Sri Lanka. The pottery craftsmen in Wennappuwa electorate have pleaded for State intervention and assistance to develop, modernise and mechanise the industry. There were about five hundred pottery craftsmen families in Wennappuwa electorate. In the bygone era when the industry was flourishing Wennappuwa electorate was a centre stage for the manufacture of pottery products. Pottery families lived in Kirimetiyana, Mirisankoyuwa, Boralessa and Thopputota villages. Today the number has diminished considerably.

Amidst facing a host of acute problems these craftsmen are struggling to keep their industry bouyant.

A.P. Savuseries Perera, former Secretary of the Kirimetiyana Pottery Craftsmen's Society said, today the industry and the community is in dire straits. There is no one to look into their pathetic situation. They are a forgotten lot. By engaging in the industry they find it difficult to make both ends meet. For nearly a century they kept the industry alive.

He said, acute shortage of clay, the principal raw material of the industry, stiff competition from the aluminium and plastic products, non availability of suitable clay fields, poor market condition for their products, economic difficulties to develop, modernise and mechanise their industry and of adequate State patronage are some of their main problems.

Perera said pottery is a traditional craft, having its origin from the Kandyan Kingdom. Wood work, laquer, mat weaving, brass work were some of the contemporary crafts that emerged with the pottery industry.

With the markets getting flooded with aluminium products, hattiya, muttiya, ethiliya, nebiliya, pukuruwa, kalagediya, karamudiya and the like traditional pottery kitchen utensils were pushed into the backyard. Introduction of gas cookers replacing fuelwood further deteriorated the pottery industry.

Perera said with the development of new lifestyles and social trends there was an exodus of youth exponents from the industry taking up jobs in the State and private sectors with better social recognition.

He said in the heyday of the industry, political leaders like late Sir Albert Peiris and Hugh Fernando (Former Speakers) regularly visited them and looked after the welfare of the community. They still have sweet rememberences of these benevolent leaders. He said, traditional arts and crafts occupy an important place in the society and evoke cultural values and sentiments among our people. Pottery craftsman and the industry is a part of our national heritage.

Potter's tools mainly occupy a two and half feet circular board fixed to a ground position with a short shaft having capability to rotate freely with the manual propulsion. The craftsman dumps clay placed on the circular board into different moulds of pottery products with the expertise and dexterity of the hands and fingers. After two days of drying products are fired in low kiln. Potters say the media has to play a key role in spotlighting the pathetic plight of the present day pottery craftsmen, their community and the industry.

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