Lok Virsa making efforts to preserve Pottery making

ISLAMABAD, Jul 2 (APP):National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) is making efforts to preserve and promote the traditional production techniques and forms of Pottery making.
Lok Virsa initiated a special programme “Craft of the Month” series in collaboration with Federal Directorate of Education aims at promoting indigenous folk crafts, reviving dying traditional skills and inculcating knowledge among the younger generation, particularly children about the rich craft heritage of the country.
Master artisans in pottery making (including blue pottery) from different parts of the country invited to demonstrate their skills and teach craft making techniques to children for a week daily from 10 am to 5 pm at Lok Virsa Heritage Museum, said official of Lok Virsa Qamar Abbas told APP.
He said that a week-long “traditional pottery making” classes for children of age 7 to 14 years is also annually arranged by Lok Virsa. He said that Pottery making- production of hand-made clay vessels and other objects- involves knowledge about the preparation of materials, the use of tools, design and decorational skills and the firing of products.
Pottery is a very big part of our culture. Pottery is the traditional art and a source of earning living for potters (Kumhar). The making of pots with clay is a very artistic and tough work which a common man cannot perform. These pots are abundantly used in the villages. Pottery ware is available in a number of sizes, shapes, designs and also for different purposes. The variety of these artistic pots includes goblets, Picky banks or coin banks, pots for fetching water and vases etc. On some of the pottery they use glazing which make them more attractive and demanding.
Although it is a very tough, time consuming work but they are usually sell in low prices. In few decades back, there were a very high demand for these pots but modernization and different variety of utensils kicked the potters out of business.