IIT Madras helps Tamil Nadu potters develop ovenproof products

A common facility centre has been set up to help potters meet modern consumer demands such as microwaveable cooking utensils with high market value. It will also help sustain the traditional potters. 

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) has helped in the establishment of a common facility centre for potters at Perumudivakkam village in Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu.  

Traditional potters to get additional skill, product training  

Many traditional potters’ families are economically poor and live below the poverty line. To increase the earning of the artisans, modern machinery is introduced alongside additional skill and product training to improve not only the productivity but also the wages of the artisans. 

IIT Madras is aiding in implementing the common facility centre at Perumudivakkam in Tiruvallur district, located about 50 km from Chennai, Tamil Nadu.  

With Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding support from Southern Region Pipelines Division of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL-SRPL), and Centre for Social Development (CSD), a Nagercoil-based non-governmental organisation as the implementation partner at Tiruvallur, IIT Madras had collaborated with Central Glass and Ceramic Institute (CGCRI), Kolkata, to leverage technology to aid the potters.  

Highlighting the role of IIT Madras in the initiative, Prof Abhijit P Deshpande, Professor-in-Charge, RuTAG-IIT Madras, said, “Technology development within an institute has to be followed up with a multi-stakeholder initiative. In this respect, RuTAG has coordinated with CGCRI, CSD, IOCL, government agencies and local artisans to bring forth the benefits in a shared setup. For follow-up technology activity, we always strive to identify needs of artisans in terms of technological solutions. Once identified, these needs can be conveyed to faculty/students to carry out further technology development.”   

He said, “The new facilitating technologies were ensured to increase the productivity of clay production and their quality. With a decentralised infrastructure through centre, the ownership by the stakeholders increases and employment opportunities thrive around the centre’s activities.” 

Key outcomes expected from common facility centre  

• Three  to four fold increase in income for potters 
• Products  from integrated pottery technologies draw four times more than the  market value of traditional pottery items 
• Immense  market opportunity and export quality for these products 
• Provides  entrepreneurial avenues for trainees through hands on training  experience as well as guidance through training manuals 
• Encourages  adoption and scaling up such initiatives in other pottery clusters  across the state 

A total of 82 persons have been trained in this centre so far in hard and softs skills pertaining to the production of various types of clay products. The District Collector, Alby John, distributed their certificates during a function. 

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