With prediction of a harsh summer this year, citizens are gearing up to beat the heat and despite advances in technology, the earthen pots still rule the roost in households. No doubt, each of the household has a fridge, yet a sip from the earthen pot is enough to quench the thirst. Seasonal sellers of earthen water pots have begun setting up roadside stalls across the city in areas including Dhantoli, Sitabuldi, Khamla, Dharampeth and Ramdaspeth and elsewhere as summer temperatures have reached 40 degrees Celsius.

 

Traders and potter families transport truckloads of clay water pots, commonly known as matkas, from several states to meet the seasonal demand for naturally cooled drinking water. The matkas arriving in city today include several redesigned versions of the traditional earthen pot. Alongside round-bellied storage pots, sellers display square clay dispensers fitted with plastic taps, painted decorative ‘Surahis’ and compact clay bottles designed for carrying drinking water. Some pots are painted with floral motifs and geometric borders, while others carry hand-painted logos of social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. The pots sold in city markets are sourced through a supply network that stretches across West Bengal, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The fragile clay vessels are transported by truck and displayed on temporary pavement stalls where households purchase different varieties for summer use. Dilip Sarkar, a potter from the Kumartuli area of Kolkata, has been travelling to Nagpur every summer for the past 11 years to sell the matkas.

 

He brings a truckload of clay pots in different sizes and designs, including small-mouthed surahis used for personal drinking water, large storage matkas that hold around twenty litres, decorated clay jugs used for gifting and rectangular clay dispensers. Sarkar said most of the items he sells are made by him and his family using clay sourced in Kolkata. “Usually, across the city, matkas are sold in the range of Rs 200 to Rs 700,” he told. Another seller, Naresh Balaghat, operates as a trader and sources decorated clay vessels from Kolkata while purchasing heavier cooking and storage pots from Rajasthan. He said, customers in Nagpur often prefer Rajasthan pots for their thickness and durability, while painted Kolkata pots attract buyers looking for decorative designs.

 

A third trader from Kolkata, Ratan Halder, runs a larger seasonal operation with a storage facility in Dharatoli where consignments are stored between deliveries. His stall displays products made in Kolkata, while also sourcing stock from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat. The range includes Bastar-style black-fired pots, white-glazed Gujarati pots and painted Kolkata ‘Surahis’. Transporting the fragile clay vessels over long distances leads to losses during transit. Sellers said, a truckload typically loses thirty to forty pieces due to breakage despite packing them carefully with hay and cloth. These losses are factored into the selling price. Although demand for clay water pots remains strong during Nagpur’s summer months, most of the matkas sold in the city now arrive from outside the region. Local potter communities that once produced earthen vessels using local clay have gradually declined over time as plastic containers and factory-made alternatives replaced traditional pottery in everyday use. Customers visiting the roadside stalls usually inspect the pots carefully before buying, checking for cracks and tapping the sides to test the strength of the clay. Sellers said, demand increases sharply as temperatures rise, making earthen pots a common sight across Nagpur streets each summer.