Sale of clay pots rises in Muharram

Islamabad: As country’s earthenware pottery is a popular craft of its own kind and has given us international recognition, with the start of Islamic month of Muharram a number of pushcart vendors have been seen displaying various designs of old method ‘clay pots’ along roads to attract the customers. Like every year, this year too, a number of clay pots vendors have set up their stalls along different roads of the capital city to attract the customers.

According to vendors in the city, the sale of traditional earthenware, especially plates (thoothis) and bowls (piyalas) increases manifold during the month of Muharram. A vendor selling earthen pots in G-7 Gulshan Market said, locally-made pots are of better quality and these pots are stronger and won’t leak or crack easily. “The size of clay plates is standard while bowls are available in small, medium and large sizes,” he added.

Another vendor said with the start of Muharram, the faithful are distributing food items in earthen plates and bowls among mourners and participants so the sale has witnessed a boom. A citizen, Mohsin Umar, while purchasing painted clay pot said that consuming water from a clay container is good for health and these are good pots for distributing ‘Niaz’ as well. Another housewife along with her daughter commented that in Pakistan many people still prefer to drink water from earthen pots during summer.

Despite consumers in country shifting toward modern personal and household goods, earthenware pots remain an important product in the country, said another vendor especially in Muharam people prefer to purchase these pots for distributing ‘Niaz’. “In summer, earthen pots decorated with glaze are in high demand,” he added.