Rain Plays Spoilsport At Terracotta Show Mrittika In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Heavy rain in the Odisha capital has decreased the zeal of the artisans as well as visitors at the terracotta show ‘Mrittika’, organised here in the city. ‘Mrittika’ is the annual expo of terracotta, hosted by the State Handicrafts Department.

People throng the expo just before Diwali to buy colourful diyas in innovative designs. But the unprecedented rain this year has proved to be a dampener with fewer people visiting the expo and affecting the sale of diyas.

Apart from diyas, many eye-catching terracotta items such as idols of a woman holding vegetables, cart puller, Lord Krishna on a swing, Lord Ganesha, flower vase, elephants etc are on sale here. Many of the forms of clay are inspired from everyday surroundings.

Terracotta artist Dhiren Rana from Tentalbadi village of Baragarh district said, “The sale of diyas and other items is less compared to last year, which is really a great loss for us. We had brought different varieties of diyas in large numbers hoping of a brisk sale like every year. The cost varies from Rs 1 to Rs 3, Rs 500 to Rs 700.”

“I have been participating in this exhibition since the last eight years. We earn a fairly good profit every year. Till now we have earned nearly Rs 30,000. The rain has changed the whole scenario. Besides Mrittika, we also go to Cuttack, Rourkela, Baragarh and even out of the state to exhibit and sell our products,” Dhiren added.

Alok Behera from Kujanga block in Jagatsinghpur district said, “Our sale is very good every year. But this year has been different. I have diyas in the price range of Rs 200 and Rs 700 each. I also have different varieties of dolls. We sell terracotta items worth a lakh of rupees every year but this year’s figure is Rs 40,000 only.”

“Though we have a business in our own home town, this exhibition gives us exposure and it is also a platform for learning from other terracotta artists,” said Alok.

“We can exchange our ideas and technique of making clay items through our participation in the exhibition,” he added, thanking the organisers.

“This year, the exhibition had a touch of modern art. But the low pressure and the unstoppable rain for last two days has spoiled everything. The vendors seem to be really unhappy,” said Aditi Mohanty, a lecturer in a city-based college and a terracotta lover.

“I have bought colourful earthen diyas, terracotta ear ings and show pieces from the exhibition,” she added.

A total of 177 artists from 22 districts of Odisha exhibited their works in 100 stalls.

“The exhibition, which began on October 19 was scheduled to end today but was extended to October 26, as business was hampered badly due to heavy rain in the city,” said Handicraft and Cottage Industry Director, Basant Kumar Das.

“The objective of the exhibition is to provide a platform to rural craftsmen to sell their products directly and interact with urban customers to study their demands,” said Das.