Mud, Magic and Kumbharwada- Article

Shrihari Prayag
Feb 14
5 min read

Updated: Mar 9

(this project is part of MOJO which are done in three different forms of media)

Nestled in the heart of Dharavi, Mumbai’s Kumbharwada is a world shaped by clay and fire, where generations of potters have molded tradition into livelihood. As the world embraces AI and modern manufacturing, these artisans remain committed to their ancestral craft, shaping earthenware in the same way their forefathers did. But beyond the rhythmic spin of the wheel and the dance of hands in wet clay lies a harsher reality—narrow alleys thick with smoke, cramped living conditions, and the looming shadow of redevelopment. As high-rises threaten to replace kilns and workshops, the project questions—what does development truly mean for those whose roots are embedded in the very soil they shape?

~ by Shrihari Prayag

Kumbharwada: A colony of craft and heritage threatened by redevelopment

In the narrow slums of Kumbharwada, in a section of Dharavi in Mumbai, Vijay Tank, a generational potter, skillfully molds his pots on the potter’s wheel, shaping them with his practiced hands. Yet, as the clay takes form, his thoughts drift to another wheel—the wheel of change that is taking him and 500 families of the wada toward an uncertain future. With the Dharavi redevelopment project looming large and residents having little to no clarity on what it holds for them, he wonders how this transformation might reshape not just his craft but his family and way of life. For pottery needs space beyond a mere apartment that residents are being promised.

Occupying approximately 12.5 acres, Kumbharwada, or the colony of potters is a nearly 90-year-old settlement in Dharavi when it was still a marshland that no one wanted to come to. Like other settlements in Dharavi that focus on leather work or engineering or home-made snacks, Kumbharwada too primarily established by migrant potters from Saurashtra and Kutch (now Gujarat)When they settled and made the place habitable, they crafted clay and mud artifacts and sold them in Mumbai’s markets.

This took hold and now there are third and fourth generations potter families in Kumbharwada who only know this way of life. While their place lacks basic amenities like open and green spaces, clean and assured water supply, good schools and health facilities that should have been provided by the municipal corporation, even proper housing, they consider Kumbharwada their home-cum-workplace.

They bring clay from far-off suburbs like Virar, Mumbra, and other areas, treat it, and then shape it on the potter’s wheel, also called Chak-Kaam. There are no fixed working hours, workload depends on the amount and urgency of the order. Once the clay has been shaped – either into kulhads for tea or diyas to be lit during festivals or large pots to store water among many other shapes – the items are dried in the sun and then baked in the furnace. All of these steps are done in the compounds or precincts of the homes of families – a mixed use of space.

Rakesh, a potter from Kumbharwada said “Although the government is offering fresh buildings, they expect us to pay maintenance fees, which we currently do not have to pay. Moreover, such buildings do not accommodate our need for space to carry out mud work or operate our Bhattis (kilns). We currently enjoy ample space for our pottery work, which is integral to our livelihood. Additionally, many families earn extra income by renting out portions of their property. This flexibility will be lost in the proposed redevelopment.”

Even though pottery is nothing less than an art, potters are forced to live in the suffocating environment with the smoke coming from furnaces or bhattis. Nearly 300 families of potters live in Kumbharwada, most of them still stick to the traditional way of their craft, preserving traditional pottery-making practices passed down through generations but also making newer items on demand.

Kumbharwada has two communities of potters: Gujarati and Kutchi. They settled here between 1935 and 1940 when they built roofs from clay and were not paid in monetary form. Gradually, they started practicing pottery to make a living. Pottery has been their main source of income for many decades now.

“The community insists on receiving the exact same amount of area that they currently own in the redevelopment plan” Said a 62 years old potter Nandakumar Tank.

The pottery of Kumbharwada is not just in demand locally in Mumbai’s market but also it finds buyers abroad in the cities like Dubai were fine-dine restaurants commission customised crockery to the potters of Kumbharwada. Skilled potters take commissioned work to produce a variety of products including crockery, lamps, and showpieces. This growing demand has provided many artisans with opportunities to expand their craft beyond traditional earthenware.

To highlight a bright side while talking to a seasoned potter and born in the family of potters Mr Hanif Galwani who has 20 plus years of experience of making pottery said “The demand for craft has grown in recent years and there are no significant issues in the industry. A skilled potter can earn between ₹1,500/- to /-₹2,000 daily. I left my 9-5 job as a digital illustrator and returned to pottery, earning more than what I earned previously while being my boss.”

However, the physically demanding nature of pottery as well as the uncertainty about the space that Kumbharwada will have make it unattractive for the next generation. Shubham Tak, a 17-year-old resident of Kumbharwada, expressed this dilemma: “I might consider joining the family pottery business if I receive sufficient support, although smoke from the kilns sometimes draws complaints from neighbours. Many people are gradually moving away from pottery due to the labor-intensive nature of the work and the preference for stable jobs.”

“Potters currently enjoy ample space for our pottery work, which is integral to their livelihood. Additionally, many families earn extra income by renting out portions of their property. This flexibility will be lost in the proposed redevelopment” said Rakesh, who is a potter from Kumbharwada.

Kumbharwada’s central location has been a major advantage. With the airport and railway stations nearby, it is arguably more accessible in Mumbai than many affluent areas – and has therefore come on the radar of redevelopment after all these decades of negligence by the civic corporation and private builders. As discussions on the nature of the redevelopment continue, the community in Kumbharwada insists on receiving the same amount of space they currently occupy in the new plan.

Typically, as the settlement developed, a large family of 4-5 brothers with their spouses and children lived together and used the common space as working space. Now, each family expects to be allocated separate apartments to ensure proper living conditions. But what about the common space or the working space? They wonder how and where that will be provided in the redevelopment plan.

This has led to the community having mixed opinions on redevelopment – some want it, and others are not sure what it will mean for their craft, or their business. The questions linger with no clarity or information coming from either the private developer, Adani Realty, or the municipal corporation. Kumbharwada is set to be erased off the map of Mumbai after many decades, its historic value to the city unacknowledged except by the community there.

Continue on this journey as our writer Shrihari Prayag delves deeper.