Bengaluru: Can you imagine a civil engineer giving up their job to become a potter? 

As strange as it may sound, a Kashmiri woman, enamoured by pottery, bid goodbye to civil engineering. She took classes in pottery and is completely into it. 

She says, “I wanted to do something different from childhood. Even in those days, clay utensils attracted me. That's why I became a potter". 

Shafi lives in a village in South Kashmir. When she started this work, she had to face many difficulties. At first she felt that modern equipment was needed for pottery. But it was not possible for her as it was not available in the valley. 

She decided to come to Bengaluru as she was well-aware of the fact that there are experts here. Initially, many back home were not optimistic of her going to the city down south, but she backed herself because she knew there were people – from six to sixty – who would help her out in the best possible way. 

Now, she plans to open a school in Kashmir where pottery classes can be given.