Traditional clay craft fading out in Nepal
Less than 300 Prajapati families in Thimi now depend on pottery for a living
For generations, the residents of the ancient Nepalese town of Thimi supplied the rest of the Himalayan country with everything from tiny clay lamps used in temples to massive grain storage jars.
Locals still mix clay and throw it on potters’ wheels, then leave pots to dry and harden in the sun.
But not for long. As more young people leave town for better paying jobs in other parts of Nepal or abroad, fewer families have to eke out an income from the relatively low-returns business of clay pottery.
For almost 50 years, Ratna Bahadur Prajapati made clay pots and sold them in the nearby market. That was the trade of his ancestors. The potters of Thimi are all Prajapatis, a Hindu caste group.
“It’s difficult to earn a living through pottery nowadays. It requires hard work, but you no longer earn enough for survival,” the 63-year-old said.
Until a decade ago, Prajapati supported a family of seven through his traditional trade. He has two sons working in Australia and Japan and no longer needs to put in long hours for little money.
“The money my two sons send home from abroad is enough for survival,” he said.
Remittances from abroad are a major source of income for Nepal.
Of the nearly 2,000 Prajapati families in town, less than 300 families now depend on clay pottery for a living.
“Handmade clay pots could not compete with similar industrial products of plastic and metals in the market,” said Pursottam Locahn Shrestha, a historian. Locals say a potter can earn 20,000 Nepali rupees ($200; Dh734) a month, but that doesn’t match up with what young people from the town can make in other jobs abroad and in bigger cities.