Jaipur’s signature craft is blue pottery, and Kot Jewar is where it comes from. Tourists from all over the world come to this village to admire the fine artisan work of India.
Blue pottery is a labor-intensive, 100-year-old Rajasthani craft that uses traditional techniques to make ceramics. The pottery was originally colored only with a striking blue dye, hence the name blue pottery. It is one of the many varieties of blue and white pottery in Eurasia, and is far from Islamic pottery and Chinese pottery in shape and design. Rajasthani Blue Pottery is glazed and fired at low temperatures using a frit substance similar to faience, making it very fragile. Vases, ashtrays, plates, bowls, coasters, and trinket boxes are just a few examples of available decorations. The only colors available are cobalt oxide-derived blue, copper oxide-derived green, and white, but other unusual shades like yellow and brown are occasionally used.
The town of Rajasthan called Kot Jewar has made a name for itself on the world map for its blue art pottery. Kot Jewar attracts tourists from all over the world who want to witness incredible traditional Indian craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation. Ramnarayan Blue Art Potteries is a second-generation business led by master craftsman Ramnarayan Prajapat, growing not only in India but also internationally. What makes this artwork special is that it is the only technique that can deliver pottery without clay.
Vimal Prajapat, 24, who received a huge offer, including 40,000 plates, bowls and other items from the US and UK, and more recently 200 from Taj Mumbai, told his father he was committed to reviving the dwindling state of Rajasthan. The efforts made by the art of blue pottery and the efforts to promote it around the world.
“Although my grandfather was a farmer, we lived in a very poor village and our family was no exception. My father was 8th generation and left the village at the age of 15 to learn blue pottery crafts in Jaipur and Jodhpur, Then went back to our little village and changed course,” second-generation owner Vimal Prajapat told us.
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Vimal Prajapat told us that his father started working at the age of 15 because his family was in trouble. His father Ramnarayan Prajapat (65) had to make pottery since he was a child to support his family. Ramnarayan Blue Art Potteries was established on August 20, 1980 as a start-up company, but in recent years it has participated in several training programs for SMEs and has successfully raised funds that the family originally invested in the company. Under government sponsorship Ramnarayan Blue Art Pottery won the Best Brand of India Award 2019 in the competition.
Vimal Prajapat pleaded with the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises to allow him to advertise his pottery and attract more customers, but he believes the government may offer more opportunities for rural workers by offering training sessions more frequently. According to Prajapat, before the pandemic, he worked with 300-400 rural artisans, including 50-70 women, to produce the ceramics. Today, only 100 artisans work for him full-time, with many more opting to become independent contractors.
When there are large orders, they work with independent contractors to provide the necessary raw materials and get the job done. While many foreign tourists come to Ramnarayan Blue Art Pottery to appreciate traditional art; students especially visit to learn the craft.
Why is blue pottery so rare?
The blue pottery is the only piece of art that uses a technique that does not use clay to make pottery. The moniker “Blue Art Pottery” is due to the fact that only blue products were offered in the beginning. But after many trials, in addition to the original blue, yellow, green and light blue are now available. Instead, artisans use chewing gum, water, Fuller’s Earth (Multani Mitti) and quartz powder.
The artists at Ramnarayan Blue Art Potteries assemble a wide variety of blue pottery including vases, trays, bathroom accessories, soap dishes, hanging plates, bowls, planters and more. When we asked Vimal how Ramnarayan Blue Art Potteries could expand abroad, he said the internet was very helpful.
Currently, the company’s products are exported to New York, Canada, California and the Netherlands. They have a website where customers from all over the world can place orders and Prajapat guarantees delivery of the requested item in return. Vimal and his brother Nand Kishore (28) manage the export as his father is not interested in marketing. Also, they get orders from Amazon and their social media pages.
Set milestones
According to Vimal, making blue pottery is time-consuming and labor-intensive because it requires manual labor and is so delicate that damage is inevitable. It takes almost 15 days to make a piece of blue pottery. For example, it takes 15 days to make a plate, whether it’s a hundred or a hundred. This is because objects have to go through various stages.
The damage scale is 30-40%, and if damage occurs before firing, items can be recrafted using materials; however, if damage occurs after firing, the craftsman must craft these items from scratch. Nonetheless, Prajapats fulfilled the order in time and achieved a goal that allowed their family business to achieve unprecedented growth. As blue art pottery has a great reputation in India, Vimal hopes that this unique enterprise can achieve great success abroad.
