The 1944 Nobel Laureate in Physics, Insidor Isac Rabi recalled how his mother greeted him daily on his return from school with the same question, "Did you ask any good question today"? I submit that I shall consider myself to be more than fortunate if this address leads to one good question at the end.

The Northeast has all the potentialities to strive and achieve development. When the desire and dynamics of the people of Northeast India is for development, it is necessary that the meaning of sustainable development is looked into. Development is required but it cannot be at the cost of peace and happiness and at the cost of family and community bonds. Today at what point the 'developed' countries are is also to be evaluated.

Human beings have been engaged in a magical activity called communication from the very moment they arrived on this planet. As the human race flourished and multiplied, this concept of communication too began expanding, resulting in what we today know as mass communication. This activity called mass communication is (i) continuous, (ii) personal, (iii) circular in motion, and, most importantly (iv) irreversible.

India, this land of ours, is an independent, sovereign, democratic nation and there could be no two opinions about that. All the said aspects of this identity carry specific meanings. A distinct geographical boundary and a national culture give this identity a speciality. But, yet, this identity was jolted in the course of the last century.

Preserving and promoting the ancient traditions of various communities, while continually emphasizing the significance of safeguarding one's customs and heritage to the younger generation, has been the mission of The Vivekananda Kendra Institute of Culture since its establishment. In line with this goal, the subject I am presenting here focuses on the material culture of one community, which is an integral part of their age old identity.  The creation of pottery, a form of material culture within a community, dates back to the dawn of human civilization.

Vivekananda Kendra Kanyakumari, Assam Prant, Kamrup Vibhag, Vivekananda Kendra Institute of Culture (VKIC) organized the 13th Vedanta Vachaspati Radhanath Phukan Memorial Lecture on the topic “Practical Vedanta of Swami Vivekananda” in Guwahati on 4th January 2025. More than 85 people attended the event.