Whistle-making in terracotta is a dying art. Only a few potters from Patan are making these whistles for sale. To make a whistle in terracotta is a difficult thing, from the potter's point of view. Potters do not have a particular method for making them. Many people do it through experience and skill. Recently, there was an article published in a Russian book ("Russian Folk Style Figuring" by Genndi Blinov). That article shed light on the present situation of potters in Russia. It Says-Will Folk Craft Survive?

"This is a question that arises quite often. Comparing the old Filimonovo, Kargopol, or Dymkovo toys with their modern counterparts that one can buy in craft stores, one cannot help but notice that the new toys are usually at quite a disadvantage. Not so long ago, craftsmen managed to create a brilliant effect using just two or three colours. The simple designs on Vyatka toys, derived from the clothing of the period or ancient pagan symbols, were eminently suitable for clay. They were executed with light mastery and always bore the individual mark of their creator. Recently made folk toys are often painted garishly in colours that fail to combine harmoniously. This does not mean, of course, that the young artists have produced nothing valuable, but as a rule, modern ware from Vyatka, Kargopol, or Filimonovo is inferior to its predecessors. One is compelled to conclude that the craft is declining. Art critic Vladimir Stasov expressed similar fears nearly a century ago. He wrote sadly that folk craftsmen's objects for everyday use were rapidly disappearing to make way for new ones, which, while more serviceable and convenient, lacked the originality and loneliness of their older counterparts. Stasov pointed out that it was time to start collecting, describing, and reproducing those objects, for in his opinion it was a matter of decades or even years before they would disappear without a trace. The time for folk craftsmen is indeed passing. Young people do not show much interest in crafts. They prefer to become drivers, doctors, airline hostesses, psychologists, or actors. But even if a young person takes up a craft and proves talented, he or she is still our contemporary, with a modern mentality and perception of the world. He or she may master specific techniques and, at best, grasp the mood of the old craftsman embodied in his work. But that is all. Under modern conditions, the imagery typical of folklore, that kernel of genuine folk art is bound to be lost. The Soviet state does a great deal to preserve folk crafts and give new impetus to the development of old art centres. Nearly 200 crafts have already been revived, such as toy making in Kargopol, Dymkovo, Filimonovo, Bogorod Skoye, Semyonov, and Abashevo. In the villages of Polkhovsky Maidan and Krutets, toy making began to develop very recently, a fact that obliges one to be cautious when making prognostications concerning the destiny of folk art. The old crafts may also assume new significance if they manage to transcend the production of souvenirs. Art critics note that even now, objects made by folk artists, like pottery, baskets, and lace, can find a use in everyday life. Folk art as a reflection of a certain perception of the world may be coming to an end, but some of its branches continue to exist and will most likely exist as long as poetic perception itself, which draws on the lifestyle in the countryside, agricultural labour, old traditions, and proximity to nature, all of which are still a part of rural life. There is no reason to suppose that this will suddenly cease to be reflected in objects d'art. A heartening sign is a revival of interest in folk crafts not only in towns but among country people, who until recently tended to attach importance to urban culture only, treating the work of their fellow villagers with ironic neglect. This welcome change has been brought about by the higher cultural level of the rural population, the efforts to popularise folk art by arranging exhibitions on all levels, and the encouragement of folk artists, many of whom have even been awarded state prizes. The revival of interest in traditional folk art, especially in the place of its origin, and appreciation of its value are certain to bear fruit. One should like to believe that the folk crafts will not confine themselves to the production of souvenirs and that they will promote understanding among nations. The language of art needs no interpreter. For a student of the history of a nation, nothing can be as revealing as folk art. And better knowledge of each other is something that we all need in an epoch that has made it imperative that relations between the peoples of the earth be based on mutual trust and respect".

The situation of folk craft in India is similar. The new generation of potters is not interested in playing with clay as their means of livelihood. It is a tentative attempt in the direction of reviving the dying art of whistle making.