89

Pottery Entrepreneurship, an Age Old Glory in a

Declining Stage: Ways to Revive
Sagarika Saha
AMIK Institute of Management Sciences and Technology
Durgapur

Abstract
The clay dolls or pottery and terracotta’s of West Bengal are all a very famous art form all over India in
achievement of international acclaimed. This innovative yet creative art provides the artisans a platform for
earning their bread as a profession. This art form provides a platter for showing the world an inclusive
cultural heritage of Bengal. In many states of our country and especially in Nadia District and in some parts
of Birbhum district of West Bengal this age old art form has been practised in the form of entrepreneurship.
Pottery culture is very traditional in India and particularly in West Bengal in respect of economic, social and
cultural development of people. It is related with almost all local festivals in every states of India. But
unfortunately this entrepreneurship is now in a declining status. This paper will discuss on the identity and
problems of the artisans who are putting their labour to make lively idols and at the same time it will critically
suggest measures to re-emerge this endangered art with special reference to West Bengal.
Keywords: pottery, entrepreneurship, idol makers or artisans, endangered.
“Craft specialization is the form of specialization studied in priority by archaeologists, because other forms of
specialization (politic, ritual, for example) are, at the moment , difficult to identify and define on the basis of material
remains, particularly when it comes to ancient periods (Neolithic)”Roux,Valentine and Daniela Corbet (3, 1989).
India has a rich tradition of clay crafts and pottery throughout the country. Indian pottery industry is as
old as our civilization. The story of pottery making starts back from the Neolithic era. 5000 years back, during
the time of the Indus Valley Civilization this effective art form (pottery and terracotta) has improved with
technology. In the present day, the pottery industry in India has been put forward as a major cottage industry
in both small and big pottery concerns. In a predominantly rural country with a very low income and simple
needs, pottery plays an important role (Meena et. al., 2005).There is hardly any festival or ritual in our
country, which is complete without earthen lamps or clay pots etc. A local potter (Khumbarkar or
Kumhar)can be found in every village in every state of our country who regularly 'wheels' out many
wonderful varieties of household utensils and other objects or commodities of utility for the local people. The
rich traditions of pottery are found both in the Northern and in the Southern States. Each area has different
styles of pottery. Local traditions and the types of clay available influence the shapes, forms and the
decorative designs (Saraswati 1978). The potter, Kumbhar, as we will see is an integral part of the life of the
people. Apart from the ordinary clay utensils that are produced perhaps in all places, some of the potters'
groups have developed a specialized genre of pottery, be it in the realm of religious or votive objects or
decorative pieces or ordinary vessels for domestic use.
In the reign of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore cottage industry that includes pottery had been
introduced for the livelihood of villagers in Bengal. The renewal of cottage industries and crafts was the
foremost goal of Sriniketan, and the department of Shilpa Sadan (Shilpa Bhavana which was started in 1922
and presently known as Shilpa Sadan in Visva-Bharati University) was supposed to create alternative means
Pottery Entrepreneurship, an Age Old Glory in a Declining Stage: Ways to Revive 845

of livelihood for the one-crop area and re-establish local industries with different craft work like leather
work, tailoring, carpentry, lacquer work, raw silk production, pottery, tile-making, cane work, embroidery,
book-binding etc which were disappearing due to arrival of machines. (Mukherjee, 2013:211).
Under Shilpa Bhavana an organization called Palli Karukari Kendra was founded by Pratima Tagore to
provide part-time employment for rural women (Debnath, 1930:33-36). Andree Karpeles, who came in
December 1922 in fact worked in collaboration with Pratima Devi and Nandalal and imparted the carpenters,
the potters, the lac workers and the village artisans the knowledge of applying modern techniques to the
crafts of ancient India which were decaying due to neglect. (Tagore, 1923) Pratima Devi also imparted the
knowledge of batik paintings on leather in Silpa Bhavana. The crafts were then marketed through Silpa
Bhavana or Silpa Sadana. Then it becomes an economically successful independent unit of Sriniketan.
Tagore always wanted the restoration of the villages, and so he used to remind Elmhirst and the other
workers of then Sriniketan that practical achievements like obtaining clean milk, fresh eggs and flourishing
co-operatives were only assets to liberate individual problems. Elmhirst wrote in his book that Tagore would
urge them to draw upon all resources of villages in the early days to make Sriniketan Experiment successful,
“ in music , song , drama and dance , drawing and design at Sriniketan in order to enrich our lives , to
liven our aspirations, to inspire our leisure and to increase our delights in every kind of artistic expression,
until we and the cultivators could produce a richness and wealth of cultural life of our own , and a
rejuvenation of those ancient art forms that still survived , but so tenuously , in the villages around
us”.(Elmhirst,1961 :42-43)
Dolls have been customarily crafted for religious purposes believed to possess spiritual, magical and
ritual value. This is evident from discoveries made from excavations in the Sindhu Valley. So from these
evidences it is clear that these modern day fired clay dolls are emerged from the ancestors of India's olden
terracotta art.
In addition to household goods artisans also create colourful dolls made of clay, wood, metal, sponge
wood, palm leaf and jute etc. Due to urbanisation and favour of plastic goods the pace of doll-making has
been slowed down, but it has not been able to bring it to a stop. Some fair-grounds, modern showrooms,
outlets, local haats and markets all round the year are enough to help these artisans to establish their
entrepreneurship. Their meagre income from this entrepreneurship might not be sufficient for their
sustenance, but these craftsmen hold up to the art out of sheer dedication and love.
The Objectives of the Study
a) To identify the challenges of the craft and the problems faced by the artisans in the field present context
of clay doll entrepreneurship of krishnagar, Nadia district and in the field of terracotta business in
Bolpur, Birbhum district.
b) To examine the reasons of dying craft and to explore critically the suggestive measures related to the
revival of terracotta and pottery entrepreneurship.
Methodology
Cross sectional research designs have been used to explore the various problems of the clay modellers or
the artisans of Ghurni area of Nadia District and Bolpur area of Birbhum District and also to critically analyse
the pertinent solution. Basically purposive samplings have been used to collect data through structured
interview schedule. In addition to that case study methods have been used to provide a wide spectrum of
their status.
Both primary and secondary date has been used in this study. Ethnographic techniques have been used
for data collection from the artisans. Participatory observation has been used as a tool. Interviewing has been
done pragmatically through non-structured and /or semi structured format.Sample size taken for data
collection i.e. 30 artisans from Nadia District and 30 artisans from Birbhum district.
846 Thirteenth Biennial Conference on Entrepreneurship

Study Area
West Bengal is an eastern state of India and has been always known for its rich Bengalee culture and
heritage. The phenomena of Durga puja is very popular and not merely a religious expression but also the
social, cultural and political expression of the Bengalee population in many ways. The celebration of different
pujas especially Durga puja therefore transforms the urban spaces of West Bengal into a spectacle, a different
reality that exhibits the culture of Bengalee identity. West Bengal actually is a land of idol making where
people are emotionally attached with (idols of) gods and goddesses.
The study area Ghurni is situated in the neighbourhood of krishnanagar in Nadia District of West
Bengal. Clay doll cottage industry products are famous in Krishnanagar. Not only Krishnanagar but the
whole of Nadia District is basically famous for clay products. Ghurni is famous for clay dolls production and
sell. The scope of the study is confined to the artists of ― Mrit Silpa in Ghurni. These artists produce images
of Hindu Gods and Goddesses for traditional worship throughout the year. Krishnanagar is 78 km
(approximate) away from Burdwan. The Pal families of Ghurni are actually the descendents of the clay
sculptures of Krisnanagar. Clay dolls entrepreneurship represent a 250 yrs old art form of Krishnanagar,
embedded in India‘s tradition and social history. There the artistic production has been handed down from
generation to generation. It was said that initially it was developed and flourished by Raja Krishna Chandra.
Krishnanagar clay dolls are unique in their realism and the quality of their finish. Potters make different clay
statuettes of Gods, Goddess and folk figures clad in traditional garb were famous from British period to
modern era in India as well as in the world.
Birbhum is one of the most important districts of the “Rarh” region of West Bengal. Inhabited since Pre-
historic times, and with several archaeological findings dating back to the Stone age, this district is associated
with Mahavir and was once a part of the Mauryan Empire, and later, also a part of the empires of the Guptas,
Shashanka and Harshvardhan. After the end of Harshvardhan’s empire, the region came under the rule of
the Pala and Sena dynasties, until the advent of the Muslim rulers in the thirteenth century. All the major
Indian religions viz. Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism and Islam have influenced the people of the district with
their respective impacts on the culture of the area. The land is also known as land of Shakti Pith. People
believe that parts of dismembered body of Goddess Sati fell on several locations in the district, and on this
belief temples have long been founded in places such as Bakreshwar, Kankalitala, Labpur, Sainthia and
Nalhati. Tarapith is regarded as the most sacred Siddhwa Pith and a major place of attraction of religious
tourists (Mitra, 2014:74,702).
Findings
Major Problems Faced by the Artisans of Ghurni
The clay modelers or artisans of Krishnanagar who are involved in such activities are facing great
difficulties.
1. The demand of good buyers is decreasing gradually and the cheapest non–breakable items are capturing
the markets throwing the clay model artists into poverty and unwillingness. Most of the young
generations in Ghurni are inclined to timely paid service or other profitable business leaving their
hereditary artistic works. The numbers of master craftsmen is decreasing as members of the younger
generation are switching over to more lucrative, profitable trades or more paying professions. A few
those however, have engaged themselves with stone sculpture, fiber glass models, although they lack
the infrastructure for making fibre glass models. Fiber glass is more durable and easy to mould.
2. Cooperatives have been proved effective in dealing with some of the problems in Ghurni (Nadia
district), but not in respect of every problem and there are allegations of corruption, as also apathy
towards the workers. Much more needs to be done to empower the workers, specially the women.
3. Artisans suffered from different problems and crisis related to raw materials storage and preparation of
clay, drying and colouring of products, polishing of products, marketing of the finished products,
traditional design of products, packaging of products and sale.
Pottery Entrepreneurship, an Age Old Glory in a Declining Stage: Ways to Revive 847

4. Interference of middle man in selling products and export.

5. Udyog Aadhar has been launched by Ministry of micro, small and medium enterprise but its formalities
are very complex in nature and far from the reach of small scale artisans.
6. Government of West Bengal has taken up the cluster1 development approach for strengthening the
pottery/terracotta entrepreneurship or various crafts in different districts. But Ghurni cluster is only on
the execution mode and not in a position to perform fully.
Data Analysis and Findings
After interviewing with the 30 artisans in Ghurni village of Krishnanagar , the following data have been
analysed:
The main artisans are male and particularly this is a male dominating industry. Basically the Male
family members initially involved with this profession. Women family members are involved as worker in
this profession. All the artisans acquired this skill from generation wise .They were initially involved with
this profession due to sentiment and emotional bonding. They belongs to between the age group of 35 years –
57 Years and they had the educational qualification between Class IV – XII .

Problem faced by the Artisans for running their business

(Krishnanagar,Ghurni)

87% 94% 95% 96% 91% 98% 94% 78% 98% 100% 86% 100% 97% 93%

The above bar chart shows the different crisis and problems faced by the artisans of Ghurni. The
problems are Financial , Marketing, Raw Material, Lack of order, Lack of regular customer, Lack of Modern
Outlets, Seasonal business and no surety of profit over the year, Lack of fund, Complicated bank loan,
Scarcity of skilled labour, competition from plastic products, Lack of training and less scope of export.

Seasonal Income of the Artisans (krishnanagar,Ghurni)

47%

23%
15%
9% 6%

₹ (10000 - 30000) ₹ (30000 - 50000) ₹ (50000 -70000) ₹ (70000 - 90000) ₹ (90000 - 110000)
1 2 3 4 5
848 Thirteenth Biennial Conference on Entrepreneurship

As per the above chart it is clear that maximum artisans of the sample size earns in between 10000-30000
rupees which is a meagre income to sustain life.
Findings of Bolpur Area
After interviewing with the 30 artisans in Bolpur of Birbhum District, the following data have been
analysed: The main artisans are male but women are also taking steps to make themselves entrepreneur as
this is a male dominating industry. Women family members are equally involved in this profession .All the
artisans acquired this skill from generation wise .They were involved with this profession due to inherited
skill and traditional sentiment. They belonged to the age group of 35 years – 65 Years and they had the
educational qualification between Class IV – XII and up to graduation.

Problem faced by the Artisans for running their business(Bolpur)

86% 86% 89% 81% 86%

67% 72% 67% 75% 76% 67% 67%
43%

Seasonal Income of the Artisians (Bolpur)

56%
36%
6% 2%

₹ (5000 - ₹ (10000 - ₹ (20000 - ₹ (30000 -

10000) 20000) 30000) 50000)

In the findings part four tables have been shown in this study. One of the tables has represented about
problem faced by the artisans for running their business/entrepreneurship and their seasonal income of the
artisans. On the basis of seasonal income of the artisans in Krishnanagar , the lowest range of income level is
rupees 10000 – 30000 and the highest range of income level is rupees 90000 – 110000 and in Bolpur area the
artisans had the lowest range of income level is rupees 5000 – 10000 and the highest range of rupees 30000 –
50000 . As Krishnanagar is a tourist area and clay dolls are internationally acclaimed so there is a higher
demand of various idols of god and goddess and miniature size dolls. In the festival seasons, a large number
of idols have been exported by these artisans. Due to all these reasons the average income is higher in Ghurni
Pottery Entrepreneurship, an Age Old Glory in a Declining Stage: Ways to Revive 849

than Bolpur. But simultaneously in Bolpur, petty small materials like dolls, earrings, clips, jewellery set,
statutes etc are sold massively throughout the year and may be the average income is lower than Ghurni
artisans but it has consistency.
There are some similar types of problems faced by the artisans in both the study area. Both in
Krishnangar and Bolpur area, the artisans have the problem of marketing, poor consistency of bulk order,
lack of modern outlet and proper export system. The artisans of Bolpur are belonging to low economic group
but all are attached with Government SHGs. Due to that reason they are getting some government facilities
for supporting their craft entrepreneurship. But the most important highlighted part of Krishnanagar artisans
are that, they are still not attached with Government SHGs and their clusters are not well developed to help
them financially and technically.
Success Story through Case Study from Nurpur Village of Bolpur
Durga Pal is an efficient Member of the Loknath Swayambhar Gosthi (self help group). Durga Pal, the
terracotta worker earns Rs 15000 to Rs 25000 per season (In times of Lakshmi, Saraswati, Biswakarma and
Manasa Pujas). In the off season she with her husband makes different terracotta work like pottery, idols etc
for sale. Her house in Nurpur is like a retail/whole sale shop cum store but she also sells her products in the
local ‘Haat’2 and Sonajuri haat. Durga’s unique skills provide the group a special feature. She also
participated in exhibitions organised by REC. And she is also a member of Santiniketan Sriniketan Gramin
Hasta Shilpa Sanstha. As a group member she participated in different types of Melas of Santiniketan and
also in the cultural activities of VDS in the village. They get training and support from REC (Rural Extension
Centre).Due to membership in SHG she got loan and so her business survived.

Recommendations and Critical Suggestions

 To carry on the pottery and terracotta entrepreneurship, research and testing lab centres should
be established in these areas
 Cluster development approach should be done more effectively especially in Ghurni area so that
artisans can get facilities like secured storage for their products, the consistency of supply of raw
materials, workshops, seminars, awareness generation camps for applicability of different
schemes like Shilpa Sathi, artisan’s pension, West Bengal Incentive Scheme, finance clinic and
Udhyog Aadhar etc.
 Attractive and modern design interventions are required for effective sale and marketing of
products.
850 Thirteenth Biennial Conference on Entrepreneurship

 Department of MSME&T (Government of West Bengal) through the initiative of present Chief
Minister has established “Banglar Haat” in Kolkata for the exhibition cum sale of different
traditional and unique products of various art forms of Bengal with a vision to develop the
endangered crafts like Sitalpati, Madurkathi, Terracotta and Pottery, Patachitra, Dokra, Wooden
Mask and Clay Doll making, Kantha etc as craft hub connected to national and international
markets. But this type of hub is required in every district and also in other states to ventilate our
products for bigger population and for gaining more popularity. Somewhat the initiative is very
slow and corruptive and indirectly making these arts form more insecure.
 The young generation should be given lessons and awareness about our traditional art forms and
its importance in our culture. If all the traditional art form became the part of our school syllabus
as extra-curricular activities then more and more people will be interested to sustain these
endangered art forms.
 There is an urgent requirement of female entrepreneur and participation of women as lead
positions. Women are more convincing and obedient related to loan recovery and sustainability
of business strategies. Government also have many facilities for women entrepreneurs but hardly
they get the chance to grab it.

Measures needed to overcome the problems

Particular loan for pottery

/terracotta business
Training centre

Awareness Generation of existing

schemes
Knowledge about Creative
designed
Skill development

need of clay art school for the

future generation
Formation of SHGs & Federations

E-Marketing System

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