Just Walking Around

Kumbharwada ---- Land of Light

I was coming out from Dadar station and walking towards Plaza to catch the bus home when a vendor on the footpath near Hotel Visawa caught my eye. He was selling brightly colored mud lamps or diya’s as we know. Some were traditional simple earth colored , others with elaborate design on them some others with mirror work.. Looking at those collection one couldn’t just pass by without picking up some for the festive season coming in a few months. I couldn’t help but strike a conversation with the Diya seller. He told me he was originally from Suarashtra but was now an inhabitant of Mumbai’s famous Kumbharwada in India’s largest slum -Dharavi. Home to many potter like him. A world of its own, you need to see it to believe it.

Kumbharwada in Dharavi is an establishment of potters almost 100 years old. It is the largest community of potters in Mumbai. They are originally from Saurashtra, Gujarat. Khumbars means potter and Wada means colony. Hence the name Kumbharwada – colony of potters. It occupies 22 acres of land that houses around 1400-1500 families, 700–800 of whom still practice pottery today.

Potters in Kumbharwada still make use of traditional methods of pottery. They use indigenous red and grey clay and bake the moulds in traditional kilns. They use waste forms and sheets of cardboards to light up the kilns. These clay products have simple designs and come in various shapes and sizes. Usually they make earthen pots, bowls and flower vases. Even those water storage pots or earthen coolers are made here.

I still remember the Gomukh (Cow’s mouth ) shaped earthen pot in our kitchen in which Mom used to store drinking water during Summer time. Even during the hottest and schorchiest day at the height of Summer when there was no fridge in our home the water from this Earthen pot would be like a coolant to the perspiring body. Giving that much need cool effect . The water had the natural taste of earthen ware and the coolness could give any fridge a run for its money even today. You will find these earthen pots fitted with taps at your local pot seller in old markets like Matunga and Citylight. Especially during the scorching summer time.Even today they have a good demand.

Continuing the walking and you will find unlike the high-rises of busy and noisy Mumbai, a walk through Kumbharwada feels like a trek into time in a traditional village in Gujarat. Kumbharwada is a friendly and happy place where you see families living and working together. The narrow, winding roads of Kumbharwada in Dharavi is probably Mumbai’s unique way of holding on to the past, as the city inches towards modernization. Sheltered under rows of houses, dozens of hands, covered in mud and clay work in unison, churn out pots, lamps and artifacts—attracting tourists, filmmakers and photographers from all over the city.

Unlike the rest of Dharavi, it is extremely clean and ventilated. To one’s surprise even the house doors are open during day time. These Kumbhars believe that if they keep their surroundings clean and house doors open, Goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity walks through these clean paths and enter their households.

The locals here have inhabited the area for several generations.  Some are third generation potters .Families have been in this profession for years and have been using the traditional method of crafting and baking the clay to make pots of different shapes and designs. They bring the clay and mud which is molded into earthenware from Panvel, Gujarat and other regions and sell the finished products through local shopkeepers. They get orders from different states as well as foreign countries sometimes.

If you want to peek into the lives of these special people you should visit during festivals like Makar Sankranti, Navratri and Diwali, because the entire area is abuzz with activity then. There is colour, music, work and creativity everywhere

Pre-diwali, they particularly concentrate on making lamps or Diya’s enough to light up the entire city of Mumbai. Each family has 2-3 expert potters who spin the traditional potters wheel on which a blob of wet mud is placed and then like magic molded into small but mesmerizing diya’s . They work with amazing concentration and zeal creating magic with their muddy fingers. Producing close to a lakh of diya’s during the Diwali .Majority of these are the small brown traditional but best light emanating ones. These are sun dried and then fired in Local kilns . Earlier these kilns were the traditional brick lined ones but today they use more industrial metallic kilns . These are either wood fired or even electric ones. The master potter set the right temperature to get the best results. Once baked these lamps are then set aside for a cooling. Then the ladies and children in the family dye these lamps with “Gheru” which gives them the reddish brown look.. The other decorative ones are colored with bright red or effervescent yellow or even garish green. In shapes of Pasley (Koiri) or blooming lotus . Some are joined together to make elaborate designs like elephants or peacocks .Other hot selling designs are the Deepstambh or Deepmala as in temples in miniature version and even the humble Tulsi Vrindavan .

Though most of these earthen lamps and lit using oil today due to the market demand they make diya’s with pre-filled wax and a wick so the ladies can directly light them and place them outside the home entrance on near the potted Tulsi or even I the window sills .

So next time you find these street sellers selling their diya’s and earthen pots or vases do give a thought to the hard work that has gone behind making them Think about the darkness these artisans face in their life to bring light into our lives and do enjoy the peace and serenity the small flame of flickering light brings into our household during festive times.

Looking at that Diya you are sure to remember that famous shlok….

Asato Ma Sad Gamaya, Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya, Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya

Lead us from ignorance to truth, Lead us from darkness to light, Lead us from death to immortality.