When potters took lessons in 'modern pottery' in Tripura

By Pinaki Das, Nandannagar Paulpara Village (Tripura), June 18: Pottery, the age-old art of making articles using clay, has been a family tradition for hundreds of families in Tripura's Nandanagar Paulpara Village. Today, it's facing extinction for lacking 'modernity'. The poor and uneducated have given up before factory manufactured items. A group of Tripura Art College alumni recently came forward for helping these potter families still carrying on the legacy in Paulpara Village. A 10-day workshop was conducted to train these potters on creating decorative items with altercations to the age-old methods. It aimed to bring prepare traditionally designed items like pots, glasses, pitchers and other domestic products as per market demand. Shiba Prashad Mara, a freelance sculptor said, 'The main aim of the workshop is not only to make the products saleable in the market but also value addition, as with the alteration and decoration of the traditional items the prices of the potteries shall increase by several folds'.The workshop was a major draw among potters who thronged the venue to get tips and learn new tricks of the trade.