October 28: The demand for earthen pots has been growing with the approaching Chhath festival. Along with the domestic clay pots, various articles required for the festival manufactured in India are also making in-roads to the Nepali market.    
The earthen pots manufactured in India are doing brisk business in the bordering towns while the domestically produced ones are selling in greater numbers in the inner markets.    
The sale of clay pots has seen a rise in Janakpurdham, Mahendranagar Sakhuwa, Dhalkebar, Bateshwor, Dharapani, Birendrabazar, Sabaila, the main square at Sahidnagar and Hatiya, among the main markets of Dhanusha.    
With the increasing demand for clay pots in the market, the potters have become busy like the bees. The demand for earthen pots is high during the cultural festivals as Chhath due to the tradition of mostly using the clay pots for various cultural rituals. It is considered auspicious to conduct the rituals using fresh clay pots.    
"The sale of clay articles like lamp and images of elephants has increased at various places and the bordering towns for the imminent Chhath festival," said Bishnu Lal Pandit, a pottery trader of Haraiya, Kshireshwornath Municipality-4.    
He said that making clay pots was their main means of subsistence in the past. But these days their traditional profession has been displaced with the increasing use of plastic and metal pots.    
Kamal Pandit, a potter at Sakhuwa, Kshireshwornath Municipality-6, complained that their traditional profession is under threat in recent years due to the growing use of plastic and metal pots. The festival period is the only time for local potters to earn whatever income for the whole year.    
A set of earthen pots for the Chhath festival costs between Rs 200 to Rs 300, said Kanhaiya Pandit from Janakpurdham.    
A majority of the local communities whose traditional profession is pottery making are abandoning this profession as it is not profitable. So, the traditional pottery making business is under threat.

The Chhath festival this year falls on coming Sunday. -- RSS