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Lifestyle
Arunachal's 79-Year-Old Potter Battles to Preserve Women’s Traditional Craft
✍️ Northeast Live
🗓 15 Nov 2026, 01:33 AM
👁 35
At 79, Tabi Sunickjee of Arunachal Pradesh is leading a grassroots effort to revive a centuries‑old pottery tradition practiced by women in the region.
Tabi Sunickjee, a 79‑year‑old potter from Arunachal Pradesh, has become the last living torchbearer of a women’s pottery craft that dates back several centuries.
The craft, once widespread across the state’s hilly villages, has dwindled as younger generations turn to modern occupations and urban migration. Traditional techniques—hand‑forming clay, natural glazing, and slow firing—are now known to only a handful of artisans.
Sunickjee has organized community workshops, taught the technique to young women, and sought support from local NGOs to secure funding for kilns and raw materials. Her initiative has already attracted attention from state cultural bodies and has sparked interest in heritage tourism.
By preserving this craft, she aims to provide sustainable livelihoods for women and keep a vital part of Arunachal’s cultural identity alive for future generations.
The craft, once widespread across the state’s hilly villages, has dwindled as younger generations turn to modern occupations and urban migration. Traditional techniques—hand‑forming clay, natural glazing, and slow firing—are now known to only a handful of artisans.
Sunickjee has organized community workshops, taught the technique to young women, and sought support from local NGOs to secure funding for kilns and raw materials. Her initiative has already attracted attention from state cultural bodies and has sparked interest in heritage tourism.
By preserving this craft, she aims to provide sustainable livelihoods for women and keep a vital part of Arunachal’s cultural identity alive for future generations.