Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
OBJECTIVES:
To analyse the present scenario of the potters in the rural as well as urban area
To identify their major problems
To find the possible solutions to their problems
To know the future prospects of pottery business
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
This study has been done using the following data:
PRIMARY DATA: The data is collected directly by interviewing the respondents using the
questionnaire prepared exclusively for this study. The questionnaire comprises of 14 major
questions. This is purely first hand information.
SECONDARY DATA: The data which has been collected from others sources which was
already available and not by direct consultation. It is purely second hand data.
SAMPLING OF THE STUDY:
The method of sampling has been used. 15 convenient samples have been interviewed .
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This study is confined to the area of Dakshin Kannada and Bangalore alone
It is based on a small sample size i.e., 15 respondents
The suggestions may not be appropriate to all the people involved in pottery business
This study may not give the in depth information about the business
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INTRODUCTION
Pottery in the Indian subcontinent has an ancient history and is one of the most tangible and
iconic elements of regional art. Evidence of pottery has been found in the early settlements of
Mehrgarh from the Indus Valley Civilization. Today, it is a cultural art that is still practiced
extensively in India and Pakistan. Until recent times all Indian pottery has been earthenware,
including terracotta.
Today, pottery thrives as an art form in India, and it is slowly gaining awareness as a
functional item as well. Various platforms, including potters' markets and online pottery
boutiques have contributed to this trend.
But still it is not so commercialised that it attracts more number of consumers or
entrepreneurs who would willingly start up a pottery business.
HISTORY
The origin of pottery in India can be traced back to the Neolithic age, with coarse handmade
pottery - bowls, jars, vessels - in various colours such as red, orange, brown, black and cream.
The real beginning of Indian pottery is with the Indus Valley Civilization. There is proof of
pottery being constructed in two ways, handmade and wheel-made. Harappa and MohenjoDaro cultures heralded the age of wheel-made pottery, characterized by well-burnt black
painted red wares.
During first millennium BC, painted grey ware was found in parts of North India and the
Gangetic plain. Decorated pottery becomes significant in the Shunga, Kushan and Gupta
periods.
The phase of glazed pottery started in the 12th century AD, when Muslim rulers encouraged
potters from Iran and elsewhere to settle in India. Glazed pottery of Persian models with
Indian designs, dating back to the Sultanate period, has been found in Gujarat and
Maharashtra.
INDUSTRY BACKGROUND
India is dotted with various pottery firms, big and small pottery concerns have mushroomed
in India like never before, thereby, making the Indian subcontinent self-sustaining in the
manufacturing of various types of products.
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HiItkari Potteries
Pelican Pottery
Heritage Pottery
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PRODUCTION STAGES
Clay ware takes on varying physical characteristics during the making of pottery.
Green ware refers to unfired objects. At sufficient moisture content, bodies at this
stage are in their most plastic form (they are soft and malleable, and hence can be
easily deformed by handling).
Leather-hard refers to a clay body that has been dried partially. At this stage the clay
object has approximately 15% moisture content. Clay bodies at this stage are very
firm and only slightly pliable. Trimming and handle attachment often occurs at the
leather-hard state.
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Bone-dry refers to clay bodies when they reach moisture content at or near 0%. It is
now ready to be bisque fired.
Bisque refers to the clay after the object is shaped to the desired form and fired in the
kiln for the first time, known as "bisque fired" or "biscuit fired". This firing changes
the clay body in several ways. Mineral components of the clay body will undergo
chemical changes that will change the colour of the clay.
Glaze fired is the final stage of some pottery making. A glaze may be applied to the
bisque form and the object can be decorated in several ways. After this the object is
"glazed fired", which causes the glaze material to melt, then adhere to the object. The
glaze firing will also harden the body still more as chemical processes can continue to
occur in the body.
Kaolin, is sometimes referred to as China clay because it was first used in China.
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Ball clay-An extremely plastic, fine grained sedimentary clay, which may contain
some organic matter. Small amounts can be added to porcelain to increase plasticity.
Fire clay , clay having a slightly lower percentage of fluxes than kaolin, but usually
quite plastic. It is highly heat resistant form of clay which can be combined with other
clays to increase the firing temperature and may be used as an ingredient to make
stoneware type bodies.
Stoneware clay Suitable for creating stoneware. This clay has many of the
characteristics between fire clay and ball clay, having finer grain, like ball clay but is
more heat resistant like fire clays.
Common red clay and Shale clay have vegetable and ferric oxide impurities which
make them useful for bricks, but are generally unsatisfactory for pottery except under
special conditions of a particular deposit.
Bentonite - An extremely plastic clay which can be added in small quantities to short
clay to increase the plasticity
METHODS OF SHAPING
Pottery can be shaped by a range of methods that include:
Hand-building. This is the earliest forming method. Wares can be constructed by hand
from coils of clay, combining flat slabs of clay, or pinching solid balls of clay or some
combination of these. Parts of hand-built vessels are often joined together with the aid
of slip, an aqueous suspension of clay body and water. A clay body can be decorated
before or after firing. Prior to some shaping processes, clay must be prepared such as
table ware although some studio potters find hand-building more conducive to create
one-of-a-kind works of art.
The potter's wheel. In a process called "throwing" (coming from the Old English word
thrown which means to twist or turn) a ball of clay is placed in the centre of a
turntable, called the wheel-head, which the potter rotates with a stick, with foot power
or with a variable-speed electric motor.
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Granulate pressing: As the name suggests, this is the operation of shaping pottery by
pressing clay in a semi-dry and granulated condition in a mould. The clay is pressed
into the mould by a porous die through which water is pumped at high pressure. The
granulated clay is prepared by spray-drying to produce a fine and free-flowing
material having a moisture content of between about 5 and 6 per cent. Granulate
pressing, also known as dust pressing, is widely used in the manufacture of, ceramic
tiles and increasingly, of plates.
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Jiggering and jolleying: These operations are carried out on the potter's wheel and
allow the time taken to bring wares to a standardized form to be reduced. Jiggering is
the operation of bringing a shaped tool into contact with the plastic clay of a piece
under construction, the piece itself being set on a rotating plaster mould on the wheel.
The jigger tool shapes one face while the mould shapes the other. Jiggering is used
only in the production of flat wares, such as plates, but a similar operation, jolleying,
is used in the production of hollow-wares such as cups. Jiggering and jolleying have
been used in the production of pottery since at least the 18th century. In large-scale
factory production, jiggering and jolleying are usually automated, which allows the
operations to be carried out by semi-skilled labour.
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Ram pressing: This is used to shape ware by pressing a bat of prepared clay body into
a required shape between two porous moulding plates. After pressing, compressed air
is blown through the porous mould plates to release the shaped wares.
Slip casting: This ideally suited to the making of wares that cannot be formed by other
methods of shaping. A slip, made by mixing clay body with water, is poured into a
highly absorbent plaster mould. Water from the slip is absorbed into the mould
leaving a layer of clay body covering its internal surfaces and taking its internal
shape. Excess slip is poured out of the mould, which is then split open and the
moulded object removed. Slip casting is widely used in the production of sanitary
wares and is also used for making smaller articles, such as intricately detailed
figurines.
FIRING : Firing produces irreversible changes in the body. It is only after firing that
the article or material is pottery. In lower-fired pottery, the changes include sintering,
the fusing together of coarser particles in the body at their points of contact with each
other. In the case of porcelain, where different materials and higher firingtemperatures are used, the physical, chemical and mineralogical properties of the
constituents in the body are greatly altered. In all cases, the object of firing is to
permanently harden the wares and the firing regime must be appropriate to the
materials used to make them.
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OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1.
0-5 yrs
5-10yrs
6.66
10-20yrs
46.67
46.67
15
100
TOTAL
Years of practice
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE
46.67
6.66
46.67
1
0-5
0 yrs0
5-10yrs
10-20yrs
The above table and graph shows that 46.67 per cent of the respondents have been carrying
on pottery business for more than 20 yrs, 46.67 per cent of the respondents have been doing it
for around 10-20 yrs, and 6.66 per cent of them have been doing it from 5-10 yrs.
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OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1.
0-10000
13.33
10000-50000
40
50000-100000
46.67
15
100
TOTAL
Start up capital
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE
46.67
40
13.33
2
0-10000
10000-50000
50000-100000
The above table and graph shows that 13.33 percent of the respondents started this business
with 0 to 10000 capital, 40 percent of the respondents started with 10000-50000 rupees and
46.67 percent of the respondents started with 50000-100000 rupees.
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SL NO
OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1.
Local
10
26.67
Both
6.66
15
100
TOTAL
66.67
PERCENTAGE
66.67
26.67
10
4
Local
6.66
Both
The above table and graph shows that 66.67 percent of the respondents procure raw materials
from local areas, 26.67 percent of the respondents import raw materials from other cities and
6.66 percent of the respondents procure it from local as well as other cities.
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SL NO
OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1.
Vessels
40
Decorative items
Both
60
15
100
TOTAL
Types of products
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE
60
40
Vessels
0
0
Decorative
items
Both
The above table shows that 40 percent of the respondents make vessels, and 60 percent of the
respondents make both vessels and decorative items.
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OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1.
5000-10000
10000-50000
60
50000-100000
40
15
100
TOTAL
Annual income
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE
60
40
0
0
5000-10000
10000-50000
50000-100000
The above table and graph shows that 60 percent of the respondents have an annual income
between 10000-50000 rupees and 40 percent of the respondents have an annual income
between 50000-100000 rupees.
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OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1.
5000-10000
46.67
10000-50000
46.67
50000-100000
6.66
15
100
TOTAL
Annual expenditure
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
46.67
PERCENTAGE
46.67
6.66
1
5000-10000
10000-50000
50000-100000
The above table and graph show that 46.67 percent of the respondents incur an annual
expenditure of rupees 5000-10000, another 46.67 percent of the respondents incur expenses
of 10000- 50000 rupees and 6.66 percent of the respondents incur an expense of 50000100000 rupees.
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OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1.
0-10000
6.67
2.
10000-50000
11
73.33
3.
50000-100000
20
15
100
TOTAL
Profit
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE
73.33
20
1
11
6.67
0-10000
10000-50000
50000-100000
The above table and graph shows that 6.67 percent of the respondents earn a profit between 0
to 10000 rupees, 73.33 percent of the respondents earn a profit between 10000-50000 rupees
and 20 percent of the respondents earn a profit between 50000-100000 rupees.
SL NO
OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
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Yes
20
No
12
80
15
100
TOTAL
PERCENTAGE
80
20
12
3
Yes
No
The above table shows that 20 percent of the respondents use modern technology and 80
percent of the respondents do not use modern technology.
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OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1.
Yes
15
100
No
15
100
TOTAL
PERCENTAGE
100
15
0
Yes
0
No
The above table shows that all the respondents said that there is sufficient demand for the
products.
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OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1.
Direct selling
40
2.
Middlemen
33.33
3.
Both
26.67
15
100
TOTAL
Seliing techniques
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE
40
33.33
26.67
Direct selling
Middlemen
Both
The above table and graph shows that 40 percent of the respondents use direct selling as the
selling technique, 33.33 percent of the respondents sell the products through middlemen and
26.67 percent of the respondents use both direct selling as well as middlemen for selling their
products.
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OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1.
Yes
No
15
100
15
100
TOTAL
Advertisment
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE
100
15
Yes
No
The above table and graph shows that all the 15 respondents do not use any type of
advertisement techniques for their products.
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OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1.
Local market
10
Exporting
cities
to other 0
3.
Exporting
countries
to other 0
4.
All
TOTAL
66.67
33.33
15
100
Target markets
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
66.67
PERCENTAGE
33.33
10
5
0 0
0 0
The above table shows that 66.67 percent of the respondents target the local market and
33.33percent of the respondents target local, other cities as well as other countries for selling
their market.
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OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1.
Yes
No
15
100
15
100
TOTAL
PERCENTAGE
100
15
0
0
Yes
No
The above graph and table shows that all the respondents said that their next generation is not
interested in continuing the business.
OPTIONS
NO.
OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
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Yes
No
15
100
15
100
TOTAL
Chart Title
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE
100
15
0
0
Yes
No
The above table and graph shows that all the respondents said that there is no government
support for the business.
FINDINGS
This study reveals that in order to start pottery business, one should be proficient in
the art of making pots.
Alvas College, Moodbidri
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Some of the potters use direct selling and some of them depend on the middlemen for
selling their products.
The next generation of the potters are not interested in continuing this business as
they feel that they can earn better income if they start some other business.
The potters are not aware about the opportunities that they can make use of in order
to attract more customers.
Alvas College, Moodbidri
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SUGGESTIONS:
As per the above study we have seen that there are various problems being faced by the
potters or even the pottery industry as whole. So here are some suggestions to overcome the
problems:
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT:
Effective programmes: The lack of support of the government is one of
the major reasons for the downfall of pottery business. The government
Alvas College, Moodbidri
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CONCLUSION:
Pottery in India is losing its charm. If right measures are not taken at the right
time there are chances that it would become difficult for us to even find the
traces of pottery in India. As per the study we have seen what are problems
faced by the pottery industry(with the reference to the specified regions). We
have also suggested some measures that can help in boosting this industry and
bringing back its charm.
By identifying all the untapped opportunities there is no doubt that one can
definitely be prosperous in this industry. Making use of the modern means of
advertising and selling techniques can surely benefit the players in this market.
With this study, a few realities have come into the limelight though not all of
them. There is a need of effective implementation of the suggestions so that
there are positive results.
Alvas College, Moodbidri
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