BALURGHAT: Winter in Bengal is synonymous with the sweet aroma of date palm jaggery, traditional delicacies like Pithey and the much-awaited Poush Parbon festival. As the festival approaches, the clay artisans of South Dinajpur find themselves in a flurry of activity. For days now, these artisans have been working tirelessly, often skipping meals, to meet the seasonal demand for clay utensils essential for preparing the festival’s traditional dishes like the ‘Pithey’ (sweet and savoury dumplings made of rice flour, coconut and jaggery)
Poush Parbon, a celebration deeply rooted in Bengali culture, highlights the community’s love for food and festivities. It is held on January 14.
Traditionally, families prepare rice flour by hand, sun-dry it and store it in containers for making pitheys. Women would decorate their homes with intricate alpana designs and begin preparing pithey using rice flour mixed with sugar or the iconic date palm jaggery. The preparation required clay utensils called Saras, crafted meticulously by skilled potters.
The artisans of South Dinajpur’s pottery villages are now fully immersed in their work, battling the cold to prepare these clay items. To create a Sara, they mix fine clay with water and knead it for hours until it is ready to be moulded. The clay is then shaped into various forms, such as single-legged Saras or the more elaborate seven-legged versions. Each sara is paired with a matching lid, locally known as Dhakna. Once moulded, the utensils are sun-dried and fired in kilns before being sold wholesale or retail.
Though overworked, the demand for these clay utensils has significantly declined over the years. Artisan Lakshmi Pal from Gangarampur laments. “Despite working hard to make Saras and Dhaknas during winter, they are no longer as popular as they used to be. Many families now buy ready-made Pitheys from markets instead of making them at home,” they say. The challenges don’t end there. Rising costs of raw materials and fuel have further squeezed their earnings. Dinesh Pal, an artisan, stated: “The new generation is reluctant to continue this profession. Despite the hardships, we cling to our ancestral trade to preserve our heritage.”