Meri Maati Mera Desh: Kashmiri glazed pottery diyas to brighten J&K government offices on August 15

Mohammad Umar Kumar is one of two people in Srinagar who make glazed pottery, also known as Dalgate pottery or Khanyar pottery. (Photos: Irfan Amin Malik)

Mohammad Umar Kumar, a young potter from Srinagar, is currently working on an order for 7,000 diyas (earthen lamps) after the government asked him to craft diyas for the upcoming Independence Day.

Kumar, 28, who hails from Ishber in the picturesque Nishat area of the city, says he is working along with his team to make diyas on a war-footing to deliver the orders before August 15.

“For the first time, I, along with five potters (in my workshop), am involved in diya-making for 15 August (celebrations) in Kashmir. I received an order to make 7,000 diyas, which are being supplied for distribution at different places across Srinagar,” says Kumar, who is using the dying art of Kashmiri glazed pottery to make the diyas.

The diyas will be lit under the Mere Maati Mera Desh initiative in government offices, to celebrate India's 76th Independence Day in J&K.

Campaign gear

Last month the Jammu and Kashmir government directed all the government officers to use selfies with images of Tiranga (flag), mitti (soil), and diya (earthen lamp) as display pictures (DPs) on their social media handles as part of the “Meri Mitti Mera Desh” campaign to gear up for August 15.

Following the launch of the “Meri Maati Mera Desh” campaign on July 30, 2023, the administration in all the districts of Kashmir has asked the local potters to make diyas for the Independence Day functions.

The main Independence Day function is scheduled to be held at Cricket Stadium, Sonawar, Srinagar, where Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha is expected to unfurl the tricolour followed by a second big function at Maulana Azad Stadium at Jammu.

An official told Moneycontrol that the “Meri Maati, Mera Desh” campaign is the LG administration’s novel initiative in J&K to foster patriotism and instill a sense of pride among government officials.

The campaign, he says, will also involve “Mitti-Yatras” from Panchayats that will be taken to blocks, and later, an urn will be carried to New Delhi by a youth from each block for the construction of the National Memorial at Kartavya Path.

Like Kumar, a number of young and old potters across Kashmir are these days busy making earthen lamps besides traditional Kangris (portable fire pots) and various pot designs for the Independence Day functions.

The potters, locally known as Kumars, take the clay and mould it on a potters' wheel. Inside the workshop, the shaped diyas are put in a kiln where the heat hardens them. The clay diyas are ultimately lined up before the final touches are done.

Saima Shafi, a 33-year-old woman potter in Srinagar who is better known as “Kral Koor” (potter girl) in the Valley, says she has received an order for 10,000 diyas from the J & K administration.

“Making 10,000 diyas within a small period of time was a tall order for me but I have involved around 15 potters from five different families in different areas of Kashmir to get the diyas ready before August 13. I myself am making around 200 diyas besides Kangris and the flag made up of clay,” Shafi told Moneycontrol.

Apart from making diyas, Kumar has also crafted a special pottery item with the Indian flag - the text below it reads "India" and “Meri Maati, Mera Desh".

“We have completed 1,000 diyas and the work was done on a war-footing. For the past five days I along with another potter started work on diyas at 6: 30 a.m. and continued till 6 p.m.,” Mohammad Shaban, a potter from Wathoora area of Budgam in central Kashmir, told Moneycontrol.

In his 45-year pottery career, Shaban says, this is the first time he is making diyas for the Independence Day functions. “We used to make diyas for Diwali celebrations but this year for the first time we were asked to make diyas for Independence Day functions.”

Deputy Commissioner (DC), Srinagar, Mohammad Aijaz Asad told Moneycontrol that the government has involved self-help groups to make 10,000 diyas for August 15 functions. “Diyas expected to be used during Independence Day celebrations are made by the local potters. Diya making has also created an economic activity in the region, as local artisans will be paid for their craftwork.”