The Royal Hues of Blue: An Ode to Blue Pottery - Anmol Gaba
Traversing back into the history of Rajasthan, we apprehend how the kings and their nobles were patrons of Arts and Crafts and encouraged their craftsmen to endow the city with their artistic finesse. In order to make Jaipur a commercial Arts and Crafts hub, Maharaj Sawai Jai Singh II invited numerous experts of various Arts and Crafts from different corners of India, facilitated them to reside here and honored them with land, money and daily necessities; so that they can shape their art. This effort taken by the erstwhile royal established the Pink City as one of the resplendent cultural jewels of India. It is rightly said that “Every Vincent Van Gogh needs a Theo” and here at Khoj.city, we strive to play a crucial role in preservation of the legacy of our Artist Communities.
Blue Pottery is widely recognized as the traditional craft of Jaipur and got its name from the startling blue Persian color used to dye the ceramic. The labour-intensive craft has been facing serious competition from factory manufactured lower priced ceramic goods, Bupendhar Kumawat, the owner of Shiv Kripa Blue Art pottery manufacturer based in Jaipur, said, “A single product takes almost two weeks which increases labor cost, exponentially. The additional 12% GST also takes a hit on our sales”.
Despite these incessant hurdles, he has wholeheartedly committed himself to this family art stewardship which was established about 20 years ago by his father, who learnt the art of Blue Pottery at Maharani Gayatri Devi’s Institute. Bupendhar started right after his tenth grade graduation and now has expanded to a team of about fifteen master artisans who are carrying forward the legacy through the charismatic expertise that flows within their soul.
One of the skilled artisans at Shiv Kripa, a woman named Ruchika, tells us how this artform can respire only in the ‘niche’ of Jaipur due to the appropriate rainfall patterns of the city that suit its production. Most of the workers are the local ‘Kisans’ or farmers who were taught the art of this blue auriferous cultural jewel and offered permanent jobs in addition to their seasonal work. The government initiative of RUDA has promoted rural micro enterprises as viable avenues of sustainable employment and has also provided enhanced quality glaze that now renders Blue Pottery kitchenware as completely food and color safe utensils.
Khoj.city in their partnership with Shiv Kripa, has blended our modern style and designs with their time-tested techniques and developed our range of contemporary kitchenware that is inspired by nature, the sea and tropical fruit motifs. Our timeless handcrafted pieces will not only add the air of royalty to your home but will also contribute towards the upliftment of the endemic community and help them in carrying forward their legacy.
