Harvesting good fortune: A worker adding colours to the claypots made at the Devaraja Pottery factory in Nibong Tebal. — Bernama
NIBONG TEBAL: With the Ponggal harvest festival just around the corner, demand for claypots has increased dramatically.
Proprietor of K. Devaraja Pottery, D. Reguraj, 48, said his factory had produced 10,000 claypots for this year’s Ponggal celebration, which falls on Jan 14 to 17.
“It is a drastic increase compared to the last two years when we only got orders for fewer than 5,000 claypots because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he told Bernama when met at his factory in Parit Buntar here recently.
Reguraj, who is the fifth generation to run the family business set up over 125 years ago, said the process of making a claypot takes about 10 days.
The clay first has to be processed to ensure it is free of foreign matter and of the right colour.
Reguraj said the process of kneading the clay played an important part in producing quality pots.
“The clay is kneaded four times using a special machine to ensure the pots are of quality, durable and have a smooth surface. If the clay is not kneaded enough, the pot will easily crack and break.
“After that, the clay dough is shaped and then dried – preferably under the scorching sun for a week – before it is baked for 12 hours using an oven,” he said.
Reguraj, who has been helping in the family business since he was nine, said the orders for claypots this year had been overwhelming.
“My workers have to work for 12 hours every day to be able to produce 300 claypots. We have been working to meet the orders since last month,” he said.
The pots produced at his factory are sold for between RM5 and RM40 each depending on the size and pattern.
Ponggal is a harvest festival celebrated by the Tamil community over three days.
Considered a thanksgiving festival, it is celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month “Thai”, which is considered an auspicious month and usually falls in January.
On the first day, which is also referred to as Thai Ponggal, family members usually gather around the claypot used to cook the sweet rice to watch it boil and overflow.
The “overflow” signifies abundance and prosperity.
The second day, Mattu Ponggal, is celebrated in honour of sacred animals – cows and bulls – which are bathed and decorated with garlands and their horns painted.
Kanni Ponggal, which is on the third day, is dedicated to unmarried women who dress up in fine clothes and offer prayers in the hope of getting a good husband.
