Arjun Palit Photography | Kumbharwada ..Potter's Den

Kumbharwada...Potter's den

With a fascination of performing streets and people photography , unlike there is place hidden inside Asia's largest slum Dharavi within Mumbai named Kumbharwada (or potters colony ).

Kumbharwada houses hundreds of potters families,where the art of pot making is practiced across generations.

The art and skills of variety of pots to it precision , right from mixing clay , to carving, painting and packing till distributing to the customers are entirely managed by the people here. Each family or a group of potter family work as single company as a family business in pot making

This place is fairly easy to reach from Sion. A ten minute walk from Sion hospital.

I usually venture out in such places asking locals nearby for the exact entry location.

Being present at the heart of Asia s largest slum Dharavi , it is fairly easy to get lost in the narrow lanes ,in between the corridors of houses located wall to wall.

The response from the people was over whelming , Even though it was an experience to interact with the daily activities and processes , the chaos and noises will definitely will take one to an early virtual rural state

Even with so much of hard work going around all over , i have found most people here to share their way of life and explaining how this , i must call it as it an "industry" works.

It is all about sweats and smiles . Even with so much of physical/Mental work one cannot find a single tiring expression.

I was amazed to find people ranging from young to old , the generations have living there over quite a huge period of time and the art of pottery is well expertise from small kids to among older women even.

About the process :-

The entire workflow of pottery looks simple ,and straight forward but in reality it is not as easy as it looks.

The clay is imported in Kumbharwada , which is mixed with hands or by feet to segregate the huge semisolid blocks into small manageable portions , depending upon the type of pot to be manufactured.

Skilled artisans shape the clay on the potters wheel and turn the semisolid mass to into a pot.

The Moist pot is dried over a burning kiln or chulha , otherwise if it is a sunny day it is dried open under sun.

After the pots are cooled , they are transported out of kumbharwada .

The clay pot categories range from flower pots , biriyani pots - transported to hotels , pots from water storage , Diwali pots to designer pots etc .

This place is a throwback to village life , More than a slum , Kumbharwada is itself an industry in many ways . In a modern city life this holds a retrograde flavor in heart of Mumbai , where an industry is run by pure hard work across generations .

I have had a good time understanding the way it works and the life within.

Memories and smiles