Aajgaon Site Visit Report by Vikas Sawant
Early morning, on 27th March 2001, I reached Aajgaon. Mr. V. R. Warerkar and two other people eagerly greeted me. One of them was the principal of Vidya Vikas Training College for Primary Teachers. They drove us from the bus stand to the school site. The school site has the school buildings, playground, gymkhana, a guesthouse and the temporary shed of "Aaj Arts & Ceramics Training & Research Center". We refreshed ourselves at the guesthouse and I started the actual site visit at 9.30am.
Mr. Dubhashi, Mr. Y. R. Warerkar, and Mr. G. Swami accompanied me. Mr. Swami is a teacher in C. V. Kora Pottery Institute in Mumbai. He has agreed to volunteer towards building this Center. This government-run institution just provides training, but no job guarantees for the people who complete the courses. The board members mentioned that these unemployed ceramic artists might join the center as teachers in the future. The Center was started last year as a pilot project, in a temporary shed. It’s present strength is 30 students, around 15 are girls. It has employed 2 teachers and has two batches of one hour each. The training is provided free of cost, as the Lokkalyan Shikshan Santha (LSS) bears all the operating costs.
There are around 580 households in the neighbouring area, out of which 40 households are traditional "kumbhars" (potters). Initially, the local "kumbhar" parents were reluctant about their kids to become "kumbhars" and continue with their traditional business. They just wanted their children to get educated, so that they can get some better job. But, the LSS members along with some renowned people, in the world of ceramic art, regained their confidence and persuaded them to send their children for the free sessions.
The students enjoy the classes as they find it something interesting than the regular school curriculum. The two teachers are paid salary of Rs. 2500 & Rs 2000 each, as one of them is married. They seem to be satisfied and are in a hope that the center will become one of the best in the state of maharahstra. One of the teacher’s father is currently working as a ceramic art teacher in Sir J. J. School of Arts in Mumbai. He has decided to volunteer for this center after his retirement. The students are instructed to make free forms and pots of various shapes. They are also introduced to the various phases of glazing. The center has an electric wheel to make the pots and a gas kiln. It takes a lot to build a gas kiln and its life is only upto 3 years. Then, it has to be demolished and rebuilt again. To overcome this problem, the center expects to have few electric kilns. But, they are very costly.
Mr. Dubhashi, a retired veteran, was very enthusiastic in introducing me to the teachers and explaining me the process of making pots & other ceramic items. He personally showed me the kiln and explained me its significance.
Later on we moved to the two schools, established earlier by LSS. The high school & primary teacher’s training school are run successfully. The most important point to mention is that the teachers are very well educated and zealous too. The school had received some furniture & lab equipment from NCERT in 1981. I was amazed when a science teacher showed me an embryo, which I had never seen in my better school located in mumbai. A doctor from a local hospital had donated it to the school and the schoolteachers took the necessary effort to preserve it properly.
Conclusion:
The LSS board members are very dedicated and keen on building the center. They are very successful in establishing and running two schools. They have gained the confidence of the local "kumbhar" parents to turn their children into "a modern pottery and ceramic art" expert. Also, they have support from many experienced people like Mr. Aajgoankar, Mr. Sandeep Manchekar, Mr. G. Swami & his father. The LSS board members have the right attitude and experience towards making the center successful.