At a time when even the smallest bit in the fight against Covid-19 counts and raises hope, scores of KVIC potters in a Rajasthan village are drawing the country’s attention with their unique campaign to prevent the spread of Corona virus. Every earthen pot, particularly pitchers, made by these potters in Kishanganj village of Baran district in Rajasthan has a message on ways to fight Corona. The idea is to ensure that the message reaches every household and members of the family come across the message every time they drink water from it.
The potters have printed messages like, “Use Mask”, “Stay Home, Stay Safe”, “Prevention is Cure” and “Beware of Corona”, on the pitchers whose sale has gone up with rise in temperature. This will ensure that every member of a household reads the messages at least 4-5 times a day.
KVIC Chairman Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena lauded the efforts of the potters saying such distinctive way of communicating with masses will leave a great impact in the fight against Corona. He said such a unique campaign will be an inspiration for many others.
It is noteworthy that the potters in Kishanganj village are the beneficiaries of KVIC’s Kumhar Sashaktikaran Program, an initiative aimed at strengthening the potters’ community across the country. The program has been launched in several remote areas in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, J&K, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Telangana and Bihar.
In Rajasthan, more than a dozen districts including Jaipur, Kota, Jhalawar and Sri Ganganagar have been benefitted by the program.
“Kumhar Sashaktikaran program has changed the lives of the potters. The main objective of this mission is to bring back the potters’ community to mainstream. By providing potters with modern equipment and training, we are trying to reconnect them with the society and revive their art,” Shri Saxena said. The KVIC has so far distributed more than 14,000 electric pottery wheels (chaak) to the potters, he said, adding the program has benefitted nearly 60,000 people so far.
Under the scheme, the KVIC also provides equipment like blunger and pug mills for mixing clay for making pottery products. The machines have eliminated drudgery from the process of pottery making and resulted in higher income of potters by 7-8 times.