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Colour Everything Blue

'Delhi Blue' pottery, which is now a signature handicraft work of Delhi, started after the Pathans came to India. Though potters  made earthen vessels before this advent, it was just restricted to the utility wares and never a decorative work. It was the Lodis and other Afgans, who initiated the 'Delhi Blue' pottery works. Yet, some historical references indicate the blue color of the pots to have originated from Egypt, from there it came to Persia and then to Afghanistan, finally it traveled all the way to India. However, the name, 'Delhi Blue' was coined by the British after they found the blue tiles on the tombs of the city.

History of Blue Pottery

Sardar Gurcharan Singh started the 'Delhi Blue Art Pottery' work back in the year 1952, when he decided that instead of practicing commercial pottery, he will opt for studio pottery. He started working under Maharaja of Bundi's patronage and after a few years opened up his own production. Though his pottery works initially faced a complaint from Khurja, who started manufacture of similar materials at a cheaper and more marketable price, the problem was recovered at ease by bringing Abdullah to Delhi. Abdullah was among the descendants of the originators of this craft and took the art work to an all new height. While tableware formed the 40 percent of the total production, jaalis and stoneware tiles also formed a significant part of the production.

'Delhi Blue Art Pottery' of Sardar Gurcharan Singh became one of the most reputed studio potters of the country. However, later in the year 1986, the government had to acquire the land surrounding the studio for which the kilns were completely shut. The pottery work of Sardar Gurcharan Singh gradually became an indispensable part of India's history and later he was also awarded Padmashree for his work. The examples of historical works can still be found in public places like the Odeon Cinema, Connaught Place, etc.

'Delhi Blue Art Pottery' pioneered the studio pottery culture in the country and nowadays, the potters in Delhi are broadly classified into two sections. One is the studio potters while the other is the traditional potters based mostly in Uttam Nagar. The traditional potters at Uttam Nagar mostly specialize in terracotta works, yet many of them are trained from the studio. Whether it is the studio potters or the traditional potters, all remain engrossed in experimenting with different designs or motifs, which in turn enriches the craft. Colonies of potters can also be found in Shahpurjat, Kotla Mubarakpur, Bindapur and Saket. Tourists who are interested to get hold of some quality pottery works in New Delhi, can visit Dilli Haat or the Crafts Museum located in Pragati Maidan.

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