In a lane behind Paharganj’s main bazaar, rows of small clay diyas lie carelessly along the dusty track. “I have left them here to dry,” says a soft voice behind us. It is noon and 40-year old potter Rajkumar is busy moulding a clay hatti (earthen lamp) on his motorised potter’s wheel.

“Please make yourself comfortable,” he says, offering us an inverted clay pot as a makeshift seat. Rajkumar is a seventh-generation potter at Paharganj’s pottery market, who has been moulding clay since the age of 14. His grandfather shifted here from Alwar, Rajasthan, before Independence and the family has been shaping clay objects since then. “It is a family occupation. My grandfather moved here in search of better job opportunities and we have been operating from this shanty hut for over 80 years,” says Rajkumar, who also gives summer coaching classes in clay modelling to school children at Bal Bhawan, Rail Museum and a few schools.

He lives with his wife and three children and his father, Bhanwari Lal, 90, who assists him occasionally. These days Rajkumar is a busy man. With Diwali only a week away, he is in the middle of giving final touches to the special diyas and puja objects, which he started designing two months ago. “Over the years, people’s taste and preferences have changed from simple diyas to attractive and unique lamps. We try to be innovative in our designs,” he says, displaying his collection of lamps. While his elder brother makes the simple diyas, Rajkumar focuses on designing the innovative and creative ones.

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