The Andrews work to keep pottery heritage alive

Sara and Nand Kishore Andrews of San Souci, Wakenaam have been making pottery craft for nearly 20 years and on this their second outing at GuyExpo, are optimistic that the trade fair will save their business.

Sara and Nand Kishore Andrews at their modest booth at GuyExpo

The art of pottery making has passed down three generations Nand explained, “I inherited from my father who inherited from his father who came from India. It’s a tradition we are passing on.” The couple has two sons.

At the opening night of GuyExpo, Sara and Nand said it was their second time at the trade fair and were hoping to gain more customers. According to Nand they usually supply craft stores outside the Guyana Post Office Corporation with their functional and decorative pottery creations.

The hand-made pieces are reasonably priced. Nand said this is because the cost of production is low and he is catering for all persons who may be interested in his pieces. However, he said there is some difficulty in getting the clay and the glazes that need to be used in finishing. The glaze, he explained, has to be imported.

While they admit that business has not been as satisfactory as they would want, they are hoping that their time at GuyExpo will allow them to acquire new customers.

But Nand said they will continue to create pottery craft even if things do not work out. “We love the work and we want to keep the tradition alive so we keep doing what we do,” Nand said.