It’s been a quiet few months for Om Prakash Galav, a master potter from Ramgarh, Alwar, Rajasthan. In March last year, the wheel stopped. Enduring the pandemic for months, people searching for a creative outlet after months of social distancing have found a teacher in Galav, thanks to Delhi’s Kiran Nadar Museum of Art which is the hub for all outliers in art. His sessions are centred on the idea of being ‘in the moment’, getting back in ‘touch’ with the little joys of life.
His current workshops are named Terra Joys. They introduce participants to the basics of pottery, in addition to sharing insights about the ancient clay craft of Ramgarh, Rajasthan. “The tactility of the medium facilitates people to connect with themselves and others beautifully. It’s an emotional engagement we’re all looking for desperately. Inhibitions that have become a part of human interaction since the pandemic, are being shed over friendly sessions of pottery,” he says. The fourth and last session will take place on February 2.
The 18-minute workshop will focus on simple techniques and tools employed in clay work. It teaches specifics such as determining the temperature of the furnace to fire the clay, the crucial moment at which an item needs to be taken out, the correct way of handling the material and pointers about enhancing durability, among other things. Galav works with both traditional and gas kilns, cooking terracotta work from 900◦C to 1040◦C to make his products stronger and last long. There is no need for registration as Terra Joys sessions are free.
Later on, all the workshops will be uploaded as IGTV videos on NNMA’s Instagram handle: @knmaindia. “This feature will help us reach out to a lot more people, especially youngsters who’re hooked on social networking platforms,” he explains adding, “While I agree there are technical difficulties in learning an art form such as pottery online, I’m certain it will at least trigger an interest in the medium. With that as the starting point, we can make headway to hook attention,” he says.
He feels the workshops and their promotion will attract people who are eager to learn new skills. This would give the art of pottery positive impetus, which if sustained, can remarkably improve the state of clay artisans whose livelihoods have been impacted by the pandemic. Galav was born and raised in a traditional pottery family in Alwar. It’s been 22 years since he sat at the potter’s wheel for the first time. This fifth generation pottery maker learned his clay from his father, the master potter Fateh Ram Prajapat. Fateh Ram instructed him in the fine art of Kagzi pottery that makes paper-thin products such as T-Lights, delicate lamps, decorative flowerpots with delicate cutwork, traditional and contemporary clay furniture and cooking vessels.
Says the master potter, “We must focus on originality to improve the fate of pottery. It’s less about selling a product and more about making it with love. We also require more pottery units to promote learning the art, and more educationists to ignite the fire in people to learn it.” This enterprising potter is not your typical Rajasthani villager with a colorful turban and dhoti, smoking a hookah in between turns of the potter’s wheel. He has the smarts, is on LinkedIn and has support from the Rajasthan Chamber of Commerce & Industry Jaipur, District Industry Centre Alwar and now the Development Commissioner Handicrafts, Craft Council of India and others.
He has exhibited and held teaching sessions at the London Craft Week. The terracotta craftsman’s honors list is long having been awarded the International Craft Awards, Nantong Contemporary Craft Biennale China 2014, UNESCO Award of Excellence for Handicrafts 2014, UNESCO Award of Excellence for Handicrafts 2012 and the National Award 2010. He is in the fashion accessory business, too, now, making clay buttons, tie pins and other accouterments. Galav is sensitive to sustainability, making 100 percent biodegradable artisan accessories without toxic chemicals. These are much in demand from local and international buyers. The boy who started in a small village of his ancestors is shaping the future of miniature pottery today with both savvy and skill.
Quick BYTES
Advice for those who
attended his sessions: Be patient. Observe the artistic vocabulary and the hand movements.
A pottery concept he is eager to explore: Kagzi pottery
A place pottery-lovers must visit: A local pottery studio; Ramgarh Clay Pottery Studio, Rajasthan
The best resource to study the art form: Government institutions like NID and ISED; local pottery studios
He is currently working on: Pottery miniatures
What would he like to tell patrons of the arts? Don’t always question the price
The greatest thing ever said to him: Every time someone praises not just my work but my overall contribution to the art form
“The tactility of the medium facilitates people to connect with oneself and with others beautifully. It’s an emotional engagement.” Om prakash Galav