At 93, Srikakulam Pardes moves through the narrow lanes of Kummari Veedhi, the potters’ colony in Akkayyapalem, Visakhapatnam, with a quiet grace that belies his age. His weathered hands, nimble on the potter’s wheel, scoop out diyas one after another. Born into a lineage of potters, Pardes has seen the colony transform from a bustling place with 40 families of potters to a time where the hum of the potter’s wheel has been silenced by other professions.
Today, the steady rhythm of the potter’s wheel is heard from only one corner of the lane, where Pardes continues his lifelong craft. He is the last surviving potter in the colony. Despite his age, hearing difficulties, and failing eyesight, Pardes works tirelessly, keeping alive an ancient tradition that has shaped the community for generations.
93-year-old Srikakulam Parades, one of the few surviving traditional potters, making flower pots ahead of Deepavali at at Kummari Veedhi (Potters’ street) in Visakhaptnam.| Photo Credit:KR Deepak As Deepavali approaches, Pardes can be found hunched over his wheel, his gnarled hands skilfully shaping clay into small deepams and flower pots. Sitting beside him, his daughter-in-law Venkata Laxmi lays out the freshly made deepams and pots on a steel plate under the blazing sun to dry.
The deepams and flower pots, an integral part of the festival of lights, represent both the continuity of his craft and the fragility of the tradition he upholds. “I’ve been doing this since I w.
