Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) organised a weeklong awareness camp for the preservation of endangered art heritage of Ladakh in Likir which concluded on 8th November. Local potter Lamchung Tsepel taught the art of Pottery.

 

Tsering Wangdus EC Agriculture and Rural Development was the Chief Guest on the occasion. Other guests present were INTAC Executive Members Ghulam Mustafa, Wagyal Tsering, Convener INTAC Chapter Tsering Angchuk, LAMO Director Tashi Morup, Likir village sarpanch Sonam Rinchen and goba Tsewang Phunstok.

 

Tsering Wangdus appreciated the work of the people of Likir for reviving their ancestral work and said that he will do everything in his power to make the pottery items of Likir more popular in order to keep alive the art heritage and increase the income of the people of the region. He also promised to help INTACH in every way possible for their works. 

 

Tsering Angchok said that there was a need to do this workshop so as to  make people especially the young generation aware about this art heritage, its value and how to maintain it. He added that there is a need to increase competition among our own people so that out of the competitive atmosphere the people start making these items more efficiently. He also suggested the local people to keep selling their pottery items now and then in Leh as its demands are increasing. 

 

Ghulam Mustafa appreciated the hard work of the local people of Likir for maintaining their ancestral work. He said that these potteries need to be marketed well but that these items need finesse in finishing and more variety in designs and types.

 

Tashi Morup said that it is important that we preserve our art heritage. He added that the age-old wisdom of living life traditionally benefits human health and we must try to maintain that kind of life as much possible.

 

Sonam Rinchen emphasised the importance of keeping this ancestral work of Likir alive even if it requires a lot of manual labour. He said that it is required that the young generation shows interest in it so that they can continue to sustain this heritage. He added that the 5-day workshop though is not enough to learn this art but it is a way of making people aware especially the youth about its heritage value. The event ended with the participants being given a token of appreciation and Tsewang Phunstok giving the vote of thanks.

 

Lamchung Tsepel said that it has been 15 years since he has been working as a potter. He said that he was initially taught by Eshay Morup and then by Tsering Sopon who taught him to make the Druk (dragon) design on the spout of teapot (tibril). He also spoke about the procedure of making these items. Most of the women, he said, in the village have shown interest in making pottery. 

A lot of manual efforts go into collecting the raw materials used in making of these potteries which is not easily accessible in any other part of Ladakh except Likir. Around 7 people had participated in the workshop and all belonged to the village itself.