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Old and
Beautiful
"Trade Fair at Orkkatteri in
Vadakara, Kozhikode is centuries old" |
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M. Rajesh,
Feb 22, 2011 |
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Orkkatteri
Cattle Fair (Orkkatteri is a small town on the way to Nadapuram from
Vadakara in Kozhikode district) is one of the famous trade fair in Malabar,
organized in the auspices of historic Shiva-Bhagavathi temple festival.
Its hue and cry is just over. Cattles (bulls) would be
either sold or exchanged during the initial days of the festival.
(Presently, the number of cattle in the fair is too nominal as the live
bulls have been mostly replaced with tillers and tractors to plough the
fields.) Other trades get more live after the cattle fair.
| Time is now ripe at Orkkatteri for the trade of
traditional pots. White, strong pots are made from lime stone in Salem;
Tamilnadu. Kilur, Koyilandy, Kuttiyadi, Naduvannur, Perambra, Thalassery
and Thaliparamba are other centers in Malabar where the lime stone pots
are available for purchase once in a year, during the temple festivals
in these places. Lime stones are extracted in the same method as
lateritic stones are quarried in Malabar. Traditional artisans create
the stone pots from the rough lime stone. No machine is used to mould
the stone into a perfect pot. Hand chisels are being used to carve the
stone into beautiful, big and small pots. The price ranges between
rupees 150 to 350, depending on size and work involved. |
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| Artisan polishing
for perfection. |
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Housewives and elders would come in group to visit the
stalls, selling lime stone pots (Kalchatty). Once in a year,
the villagers get a chance to possess the natural, hand-made cooking vessel,
since it is unavailable in open market. The old, traditional cooking pot has
been accomplishing a big role in the cuisine of almost all rural households.
“It is the best option to keep the traditional quality
of vegetarian and meat curries. No modern easy cooking vessel can provide
the delicious flavour as this wonderful pot can. Using this innate item is
healthier too”-say housewives at the stall in one voice.
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(This pot keeps heat for long time than aluminum or
steel or any other kind of pots. So chefs in rural households prepare
all kind of curries in this pot except fish curries. They prefer earthen
pots to cook fish curries as it requires less heat than other non
vegetarian items.)
“Even though local populace is well aware of the
quality of this natural product; the ratio of sale has not much
increased. The traditional cooking method is more strenuous than use of
other easy metals. Smokeless chulahs and fuel wood stoves are best for
using this pot. Nowadays, people use more of LPG stove, and so they
depend on easy cooking wares and pressure cookers to save costly fuel
and time.”-says Perumal. He has been a potter since 30 years. |
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| Kalchatti Stall |
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Although these stalls selling pots starts functioning
from the beginning of the festival season, majority of the domestic
customers wait for some more days to be free from the crowded town during
the peak festival days.
“I have been working in this field for twenty years.
We work in Salem for six months in a year and tour the other half for
marketing the pots in trade fairs.”- says Rajesh, one of the craftsmen from
Salem.
“The handy work has been hereditary. I have completed
around forty years, making the pots. The manpower is now in shortage since
youngsters are not interested to take up pot making and marketing as a means
of livelihood. This trade requires utmost patience and dedication.”-says
Shokkalingam.
There are some finishing works for this group in their
stalls. They cut and make the edges smooth as the sales progress. Using the
powder of the stone mixed with water, they make it more dazzling to draw
customer’s attraction. Really, this time honored pot is beautiful. |
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- By M. Rajesh for CalicutNet.com |
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