Dharavi potters shape new destinies

Dharavi, spread over 540 acres of land and around 70,000 households, is the biggest slum in Asia. The history of Dharavi dates back to the pre-independence period. As per the records, the earliest colony of fishermen in the area known as Dharavi today was set up way back in 1910.

Dharavi is located in Sion, also called as sheev. The literal translation of this Marathi word is ‘border’. Historically, the Dharavi slum was set up outside the city because as per the prevalent social norms of that time, people involved in occupations such as leather, pottery and fishing were considered of lower caste and their place was outside the village. Nathabhai Chauhan is a well-known potter from Kumbharwada. His pots, diyas and other decorative items are extremely popular amongst the upper-middle class and middle-class market. He also provides these items for Hindi serials and films. “Kumbharwada (potter’s land) is one of the oldest colonies in Mumbai, functioning since 1912. The potters in Dharavi are from Saurashtra, Gujarat,” he explained.

In 1912, Mumbai was developing, and a port and sea-route was the only convenient itinerary to reach Mumbai from Gujarat. Around 150-200 potter families used to come from Saurashtra via the sea route to Mumbai for eight months a year. The soil around the Dharavi area was perfect for their business. These families used to live in small huts made of coconut tree leaves. In 1932, all these huts were burned in an inferno, after which the trader community in Mumbai helped these potter families with money, food and shelter.

“Our great grand fathers then requested for land from the then British government, with the help of the Mumbai’s trader community. The British government approved our request and allotted 13.5 acres of land in Dharavi on a lease of 99 years,” informed Chauhan. After this, these 200 families were settled permanently in Dharavi and started their small-scale business of producing earthen pots, diyas, murals etc. Now, around 385 families work in Kumbharwada. Kumbharwada produces around 70% of the earthen pots and diyas sold in Mumbai. The 13 acres of land provide employment to 2,000 workers.

The age-old brick furnaces used to bake the pots require raw material such as cotton. “As the cotton-mills in Mumbai started closing down, the supply of cotton waste to Kumbharwada became scanty. Without proper raw material, the furnaces stopped functioning and without the furnace the soil items could not be baked; ultimately, the potter’s life became hellish,” said Raju Korde, of Dharavi Bachao Samiti. The potters have to import the waste-cotton from Gujarat, which increases the total cost of a product. Since the pollution caused by the old furnaces is also becoming an important issue, the potters are trying to set-up gas furnaces.

The younger generation of potters is not interested in this business; they have chosen different professions. “My children are not interested in pottery. One is in Australia and another is in America. And my daughter is doing her masters,” he says. Nathabhai believes pottery is an art. He goes to different places conducting workshops and was invited to Sir J.J School of Art for a special lecture on pottery.