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Kundapur: Vendors of Earthenware in Kota - Rarity in Modern Times

  •   Thu, Sep 30 2010 11:01:21 AM

Kundapur: Vendors of Earthenware in Kota - Rarity in Modern Times

News & Pics: Aishwarya Beejadi
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RD/RX)

Udupi, Sep 30: In this jet-set age, the life has undergone a considerable change where everyone desires to get everything at once. The different types of machines at our disposal such as cooker, grinder, mixer, washing machine, iron box and electrical gadgets among others claim to make our life easier, by saving time and money. Amidst all this, the duo of Baburaya and Shanker in Kota make earthenware for livelihood.

Whether it is cultural business or giving shape to artefacts of cultural significance, let each one decide for
oneself. However, it’s a fact that in most of the household not many earthenware could be found.

In Shenoy’s word, "we don’t speculate on profits out of our stocks. Every aspect of life has been changed in modern times. It is only the traditional mode that guarantees good life and thus the earthenware which reflects the same have the secret to healthy living."

It’s widely accepted that the food cooked in earthenware does not lose nutrients. It is the people who avoid them thinking that it would degrade their status in society dubbing them being old-fashioned.

Baburaya Shenoy and Shanker Shanbagh own a shop at Kota here besides the National Highway 17, with wide varieties of earthenware and handicrafts. They have been engaged in selling these wares for the past few years. Wide varieties of earthenware, pottery and handicrafts that are being used by the coastal
residents since ancient times are on display at their shop. The clay is here revered in the form of many pottery items.

While the collection of pottery and handicrafts open the vistas of rural living of the glorious past; it also sheds light on the ancestral legacy of bygone era where earthenware was extensively used in every household in the coastal district. Baburaya Shenoy has been in the business since 30 years, while his partner Shanker Shanbagh has joined him since 6 – 7 years.
  

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Comment on this article

  • Yathish Kumar, Attavar/Dubai

    Mon, Oct 04 2010

    Earthern pots n vessels are made out of clay which was brought from paddy fields,unfortunately these fields are no more as high rise buildings have taken shape. So how do you expect these traditions to be kept alive when there no fields

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  • Philip Noronha, Kota/Bangalore/Muscat/Saudi Arabia

    Fri, Oct 01 2010

    In olden days only on Monday we can see all these in Kota( Saanthe)the traditional mode ,brought and sold by various venders, that guarantees good life and thus the earthenware which reflects the same have the secret of healthy living."
    Thanks to Baburaya Shenoy and Shanker Shanbagh own a shop at Kota besides the NH17, with wide varieties of earthenware and handicrafts, engaged in selling these wares for the past few years. Wide varieties of earthenware, pottery and handicrafts that are being used by the coastal,residents .

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  • Roshni Bhandarkar, Mangalore/Bahrain

    Thu, Sep 30 2010

    Just great seeing the art, brought back my childhood memories of eating food cooked in earthenware pots. Though modern technology has replaced our cooking vessels and pots,I am proud to say - hold your breath -that here in the Gulf I still do use earthenware pots for cooking fish, which turns out to be grrrreat!. Also I cook the rice 'bakri' in the tava of the earthenware pot. Keep up the tradition and all the good luck and prayers

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  • Sunil Fernandes, Kota/Dubai

    Thu, Sep 30 2010

    Nice to see the pics from my native. Baburay & Shankar these two shops are very famous not only in Kota but for whole Kundapur and Udupi taluks. People from surroung places coming here to buy these earthenwares. Some people take them to abroad also while going back from vacation. As these shops are located on NH17 lots of tourist passing over buy these products.

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  • Fredrick Correa, Nairobi, Kenya

    Thu, Sep 30 2010

    Wow! what a feeling of those days. We used to clean the little curry that was left over in the "kundle" with rice to ensure that nothing was wasted.

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  • VNayak, Mangalore/Switzerland

    Thu, Sep 30 2010

    Earthen pots are good not just because they are nostalgic but mainly because they preserve taste and are healthier. Even the ancient Romans, though they had plenty of metals, did prefer to cook in clay pots. These pots, called "Roman Pots" are available in much of Europe in the large department stores.People do use them for slow cooking of stew etc in the oven. In India,unfortunately, cooking in stainless steel pots and in pressure cookers is considered as "modern". It is sad to see every Indian recipe prescribes pressure cookers even to cook vegetables.No meat or vegetable can be as tasty as a dish cooked slowly (even on electric or gas fire) in a clay pot.

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  • Clara Lewis, Kemmannu/Dubai

    Thu, Sep 30 2010

    We grew up eating food cooked in earthernware's on charcoal fire, which was healthy and tasty, now nowhere we get to see this tradition,also we don't get to see the olden gold village life anymore, in those days people used earthernware's for almost everything for day today's life, to cook, to store food, to fetch and store water etc., on market day people use to buy earthernware in bulk, which was held once in a week at main city. People in villages must preserve this tradition.

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  • Sunil, Mangalore

    Thu, Sep 30 2010

    Remember during my younger days the neighbours used to make these pots. its very interestng to see them making it when wheel rolls.

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  • Agnello, Mangalore/Muscat

    Thu, Sep 30 2010

    Such glorius traditions should be encouraged to flourish.Keep up the good work my fellow countrymen.

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