Whose gain is it anyway?

The terracotta that is produced in Vishnupur is as good as any in the country. Mostly foreigners visit the place, though there are not too many of them, who pick up terracotta idols and figurines at rock-bottom prices, contends Ramesh Pathania

VISHNUPUR is known the world over for terracotta. Given its reputation as the major centre for terracotta, you approach this sleepy hamlet expecting its brick red tones to leap at you. There is not much indication about this village which is almost 200 km away from Calcutta. This long never-ending drive from Calcutta to Vishnupur takes you from lush green fields and thick forests. The small-santhal tribal villages and innocent villagers become a part of your journey.

Dogged determination helps you to track down terracotta artisans. In the sleepy Punch Mura village, where more of the terracotta items are actually produced, people seemed all agog at the prospect of seeing the Hindi pot-boiler Itihaas running in the small talkie in the village for the last three weeks than answering queries about the whereabouts of artisans.

The search for artisans ends in a little lane in Punch Mura village where an old man, probably in his 60s, works busily on the face of Buddha. He is Ravindranath Kumbhkar who with his chisel is shaping Buddha’s nose. His disillusionment is obvious. The younger generation, Kumbhkar explains, is not exactly keen on learning the art of terracotta. Enormous patience is essential for learning the art and even though the central and state governments are running training programmes for youngsters, the amount allocated for the purpose is miniscule.

Babul Dass Khumbhkar who can not make more than Rs 2,000 a month despite hard labout he puts in, is very upset with the present scenario.

The terracotta, he says, that is produced in Vishnupur is as good as any in the country. Mostly foreigners visit the place, though there are not too many of them, who pick up terracotta idols and figurines at rock-bottom prices.

Most artisans claim that these buyers take their purchases to their country and sell them for huge profits.

Vishnupur was the capital of the Malla dynasties in the 17th and 18th centuries. It boasts of more than a dozen temples and rangshalas. The temples are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India but that does not prevent lovers from hanging around looking for a quiet spot, which is not difficult to find given the temple’s deserted look at most times.

The town only gets somewhat filled up in the months of October and November. There are a few small guesthouses in the town but the tourist lodges run by the West Bengal government remains the best bet. It is inexpensive, clean and comfortable. The food served in the restaurant is delicious. One can try typical Bengali dishes here for a dirt-cheap price. In Vishnupur, most tourists walk around the temples and the buildings whose facades are covered with terracotta embellishments. The other popular activity, of course, is to go shopping for terracotta on the small, almost nondescript Chinnamasta Street.

It is not surprising that terracotta sells. After all, it has a rich history behind it. Terracotta figures date backs as far as the Harappan period. There are numerous references to earthenware, especially painted pottery and terracotta figures. In the archaeological findings of the pre-Harappan and post-Harappan periods. The pre-Harappan pottery found at the Kablianigan site in north Rajasthan is characterised by painted wares largely of the black and red surface variety. Occasional use of white as another adjunct colour is there. The designs are largely geometric though floral and faunal elements are also noticeable.

Nearly five millennia later, India is still rich in her terracotta and pottery traditions, many of which have their roots in prehistory. A great deal of the present day painted pottery of Kutch in Gujarat and parts of Rajasthan reveals a striking resemblance to pieces found at the sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Patterns are derived from chequered grids, rhomboid lozenges, waves and loops within parallel lines, spirals and motifs derived from flora and fauna. What is more, many of mother goddess terracotta figurines, whistles and bulls on wheels, are still produced all over India in the likeness of the objects excavated from the Harappan and later Mauryan sites.

The initial process entails processing the clay obtained from ponds and riverbeds. The first stage involves removal of impurities like gravel small pebbles, twigs and roots from dried clay. Depending upon the quality of clay-(which is determined by the extent to which it is adhesive,) brittle or elastic materials like sand, rice-husk, ashes, cow dung and cotton wool are added to it. This prevents the object from cracking while sun-drying and firing. The dry-mixture is then kneaded by sprinkling water and using both hands and feet to blend it thoroughly into a dough-like admixture. The clay is now ready to be turned on the wheel or moulded by hand. However, care always needs to be taken that this mound is never directly exposed to the sun and is kept moist under a polythene sheet, jute or some other similar covering. The final stage is of firing so as to fuse the siliceous material with the clay and make the utensil durable.