For Muhammad Ramzan Kumar and his wife, both in their 80s, a clay pot still finds its way out of a small workshop in Baramulla district.
While the clay wheel has outlasted markets, modernisation has taken over houses, Kumar and his wife are carrying forward the age-old tradition.
For decades together, Muhammad Ramzan Kumar, a resident of Wagoora village, moulded clay with his hands while his wife walked almost every street and village not only for the survival but to keep the tradition alive.
“At times, we receive the payments after months. But we still keep moulding it to build the trust and keep surviving on it,” Kumar said.
For Kumar, it is not mere a source of livelihood but a promise the couple has made to each other to keep the craft alive that once echoed through every household in Kashmir.
“This craft is fighting for its breath, but we both are determined for its survival till our last breath,” he added.
For Muhammad Ramzan Kumar, clay pottery is a legacy even if people have got used to modern stainless steel or plastic.
“Pottery has its connection with every Kashmiri family irrespective of its space on the shelf in a kitchen,” he said.
The couple have been in the trade since they married.
He recalled the time when pottery was at its peak and when earthenware was treated as essential, especially tumaknari, the ceremonial pots used in Kashmiri weddings.
“I make the pots. My wife sells them. It is not only about earning money but to keep it alive as it was given to us by our ancestors,” Kumar said.
His wife, who has undergone two surgeries over the years, still helps her husband in shaping the clay.
“Since my marriage, I have been doing this. I go from village to village every day,” she said.
Amid the struggle to keep the tradition alive, Kumar, however, is convinced that the business is shrinking and sinking with each passing day.
“Very few families are left in the trade. Most of the people have stopped practising it and are trying their luck in other ventures,” he added.
He said demand for pottery was less because people have become modernised.
“But my wife and I are undeterred. At this age, I feel proud that I have contributed something to our traditional culture,” he said. “Our elders and people of my age have emotions connected to it. These days we see people holding programmes highlighting Kashmiri culture but those lectures remain confined to only four walls,” he added.
While the tradition is fading but the couple in this village at times brings back childhood memories to many households.
“My grandmother used to cook and eat on earthen pots. Those days the food would taste altogether different,” said Suhail Khan, a resident.
Muhammad Junaid, a resident of a nearby village, while purchasing a small handi said the culture was slipping away.
“When I see him (Ramzan uncle) still working at this age, I feel a sense of loss. We are watching our culture slipping away,” he added.
