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Spreading the art of pottery

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

engrossing effort:The free pottery and terracotta workshop at Sega provides an opportunity for children to acquaint themselves with the ancient art.

PUDUCHERRY: For nine-year-old Sushma, who was on Friday attending the ‘Clay Modelling and Moulding' workshop at Sega Art Gallery, the fact that something as simple as clay could be used to give shape to her imagination was a discovery. With a broad smile on her face, she went about creating small dinosaurs and peacocks that she happily displayed to the visitors.

For younger generation

The workshop was part of the efforts undertaken by V.K. Munusamy, a native of Villianur and winner of a UNESCO award in 2005, to spread the art of pottery and terracotta-making to the younger generation.

Lack of interest

Having been in the field of pottery for the past 40 years, Mr. Munusamy, who is also the recipient of several national awards and the Kalaimamani, says that the lack of interest among the youth to take up the art as a profession was an alarming trend. He says that the aim of the workshop was to kindle the curiosity of schoolchildren and teach them this “ancient art,” which has been in practice throughout history.

“It is important to catch them young if you want to cultivate an interest in any art form,” he says.

The 15-day workshop, conducted free for all school-going children who were willing to register, offers crash courses in pottery, terracotta making, and clay modelling and moulding. By the end of the training, Mr. Munusamy says the students would be able to make commercially marketable clay products and would lay the foundation for them to learn complex techniques in pottery.

The gallery could be contacted at 9944537514. The workshop ends on May 30.

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