This is one artisan community that was reduced to mere numbers. Now, the virus has also badly affected them.
The potters of the ‘kosapet’ of Mylapore are not making any images of lord Vinayaka this season.
This community which resides in the streets opposite Sri Anjaneya Temple in Luz, off Royapettah High Road kept itself busy year round making products from clay and mud, the stuff traditional potters do.
And they had loyal clients at Vinayaka Chathurthi time, people who preferred simple, clay-based images which were sold on the pavements here.
But this year the potters, small in number are not making them. “The cost of sand and mud had risen and we are thin on money due to the virus hurting regular business so we didn’t want to spend more, unsure of sales,” said one potter.
- Photo used here is from Mylapore Times archives of the potters at work
