By Riddhima Sharma

“IT ALL STARTS with baking and goes on to decorating by craftsmen. We too participate in decorating the clay pots, but we hardly get time for it. This process is indeed very time-consuming”, says Suman, who sells clay ware from a shop in the lanes.

In the streets of Shahdara, Delhi, amid bustling markets, many local shops are tucked into narrow lanes. I stumbled upon one such clay ware shop.

Amidst the fragrance of clay and under the shade of the shop sat its owner, surrounded by piles of painted and unpainted clay ware.

“On festive occasions such as Diwali and Ganga Dussehra , our sales see a good spike compared to normal days”, says Suman.

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Clay ware pieces like diyas and clay pots play a vital role during festivals, as they are part of many festive cultures and traditions. Thus, a good crowd is seen in the markets and in the lanes of clay ware shops. One can hear the chorus of calls from the lined-up shops, each trying to attract customers to buy pots and other items from theirs.

During non-festive seasons, the  clay ware left unsold at  Suman’s shop is sold to traders, suppliers and other shop owners.

“मेरी सास अब अस्सी की है। उनके जमाने में ये काम था। उससे पहले मेरी दादी सास इस काम में थी। और अब मैं” (Her mother-in-law is about eighty. She was part of this work, and before her, Suman’s grandmother-in-law was involved in it. Now Suman is continuing the work, and the next generation is carrying it on too.) She mentions her children: One works in the same clayware shop and looks after the trade, while the other works as an AC repairer. Not all children can be in this work. Some choose a different path. The others carry on as part of this ongoing legacy.

 The clay ware comes to Suman’s shop from many regions of India. They take as much as they can from places like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan , among others. Many times we can make it in Delhi too, but it’s problematic, “says Devki, a relative of Suman, who accompanies her in the shop. She adds that they cannot place a burner here because of the increasing number of flats being built, as complaints have often been filed against them. Emphasising my observation about the clay pots during winter, Devki adds ,” भारत क्या है? भारत मिट्टी ही तो है” "(What is India ? India is soil itself)."

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“This is the soil that people should consume and be habituated to” she says,  They both say  that people don’t understand how modern  things are ruining their health and making people lazy. They say that in older times in rural areas, people used to drink water flowing from the river or stored in a clay pot. Now people use RO filters and refrigerators to cool and store water, which is not as good as natural earthen pots, one glass of whose water leaves a person relieved and quenches thirst faster than cold water from a refrigerator.

 Suman says that people store the previous night’s food in the fridge and eat it the next day. Then they complain of poor digestion. Comparing these with her own  family's  habits, she adds that quarrels often happen when  they have  left over from previous night the next day.  “We make fresh. We prefer fresh food and make new food the next day,” they  many times cooking  on earthen tawas, as they believe  that cooking on an earthen tawa provides nutrients to the food, which is good for our digestion.

Surrounded  by  natural clay ware and drawing on their  experiences of adopting natural ways to live a healthy life, Suman and Devki sit in their clay ware shop, continuing their family legacy and sharing the essence of their rural and natural way of life while displaying the earthen pots and the shimmering work of hardworking artists.

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