Watch | Inside Dharavi’s potters’ colony

Kumbharwada, Mumbai's oldest potter's colony, offers traditional clay items like flower pots, water containers, crockery, utensils, and decorative items. Prices range from ₹20-2,000. While some still use the old wheel, most have switched to electric. Families have been living here for centuries, but the next generation is moving away from pottery. Women are becoming make-up artistes or henna artistes.

Kumbharwada, which takes its name from kumbhar, meaning potter, and wada, meaning colony, is one of the oldest potter’s colony in Mumbai where you can get traditional items made from clay.

Flower pots, water containers, crockery, utensils, bowls for ice-cream and phirni, including decorative items made here, are sold across India and exported too.

Prices for the clay products range between ₹ 20 and ₹ 2,000 depending on the design and size of the products.

Very few potters still use the old wheel while most of them have switched to electric wheels as they are more convenient.

There are families who have been living in Kumbharwada for centuries, whose livelihood are solely dependent on pottery. The next generation members in most families are also moving away from family businesses due to cluttered spaces.

While the men in the family have moved away from pottery, a number of women from the community are becoming make-up artistes or henna artistes.

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