Till quite recently, the pot makers in Narayanpet did not have a place to sell their products. Roadside display of their wares was the only thing they knew, and this type of selling made them struggle to earn a decent livelihood, let alone making anybody well-off. However, then happened a tie-up between the District Administration and the Khadi Village Industry Commission (KVIC) in Narayanpet, and this turned out to be a miracle for the pot makers.
The officer taking this initiative, and thereby bring a change in the pot makers’ lives, is the district collector of Narayanpet Ms. Hari Chandana Dasari. Today, the pot makers are not only benefiting from a platform where they can sell their products but are also being trained with new skills and techniques in their craft.
While speaking to Indian Masterminds, Ms. Hari Chandana Dasari, “The pot makers in places like Narayanpet used to do roadside sales as they didn’t have any actual sale point, and therefore could not properly display their products. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, they incurred huge losses as they were not able to conduct any sales for a period of three to four months.”
Another thing which I realized was that in the district, these pot makers did not have a lot of technical equipment and were relying on the old traditional methods which are outdated. The equipment used by them like wheels etc. requires a lot of force and effort, which were creating issues for the women as well as the disabled people using them.”
TRAINING PROGRAMS
After getting a holistic view of the issues faced by these artisans in the district, the administration of Narayanpet tied up with the KVIC and designed some training programs for the pot makers. This helped them in availing and learning modern mechanized potteries making techniques.
In these training programs, equipment like electric wheels and mixing machines were provided which help the pot makers in making their tasks easier. Ms. Chandana said, “The electric wheels are designed in a way that anyone can use it, and is also less time-consuming. People don’t need to sit and make the products as they used to practice in the old traditional methods. Now they but they can stand and do the work. This modern equipment will help in completing the task in a much smoother way.”
“As our district focuses on women empowerment, we have also given the equipment to the women Self Help Groups (SHGs) in the district.”, she added.
MARKETING OF PRODUCTS
Another big issue the artisans were facing related to the sale of their products. Without having an actual sale point in the district, the sale generation was not fixed, which was becoming a risk for the artisans. However, Ms. Chandana had a solution for this too.
Few months ago, Ms. Chandana established a platform for the food producers who were producing items like fig jams, jellies, and pulped custard apples, which were being sold in supermarkets like Q-mart, etc. It gave them huge benefits as they started earning more than they could have ever imagined.
Similarly, she has formed a handicraft producers’ group for the 400 potter families in the district which would help them in providing good benefits. She said, “We will grant them space of one-two acre near the lake where they will have access to clay and will also create a potter’s hub in the same space to make the products. For marketing the products, we are providing them with a marketing training program where they would learn how to sell the products, especially online. We are also trying to link up with Flipkart’s Atmanirbhar program to see if we get some market.”
Apart from this, the administration has also assured the pot makers to give them space in the local market to sell their goods.
THE POTTERY EXHIBITION
A pottery exhibition was recently conducted in the district to highlight the talent among the artisans. Ms. Chandana said, “There is a lot of artistic talent in such backward areas, but it goes unrecognized and unrewarded. The idea behind the exhibition was to enable the artisans to display their talent in front of the people.”
These efforts of Ms. Hari Chandana are being applauded by many.
