The traditional pottery industry in Aurangabad village in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, is not only weathering the onslaught of modernisation but thriving in spite of it.

Bhola Prasad Prajapati, one of the potters who has been engaged in idol making since 19,62, says the secret of the smooth finish of their ware is a fine textured pond clay devoid of any gravel. However, the idols which Prasad makes are baked using the traditional method of burning cow dung and wood.

According to a bulletin of the Research Centre for Decentralised Industries, Prasad earns Rs 2,500 a month, an income much higher than the average in the village.