Khurja pottery
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2023
Rahul Singh, Oct 7, 2023: The Times of India
It came here hundreds of years back with the Mughals or the Afghans and has travelled the world as an iconic specimen of Indian artisanship. When the late Queen Elizabeth II was marking the platinum jubilee of her reign, PM Narendra had presented a commemorative set of the famous glazed ceramics painted with decorative motifs to the then British PM Boris Johnson. But more than three years since the first Covid lockdowns, Khurja pottery finds itself in need of a boost. Help has arrived in the form of the government’s ‘Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojna’, but those at the workshops in its eponymous hub, located about 120 km from Delhi in UP’s Bulandshahr district, say that the upcoming airport in Jewar could be the answer. Just 30km away from Khurja and expected to start operations in September next year, the airport would bring buyers, and profits, closer to Khurja’s pottery traders. Exports could increase by 35-40%, they say.
Runway for revival
The workshops do business of about Rs 150 crore annually, but exports make up a mere 10-15% of the total turnover even though the earthenware made here has a high demand in the US, Brazil and African and European countries. Between 2017 and 2020, the annual turnover touched Rs 250- 300 crore, but there was a gradual slide thereafter as several small and large units were forced to down shutters and never came back following the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown.
“Today there is hardly any direct link between foreign buyers and pottery manufacturers. All our goods are sold via third parties. Export houses buy pottery in bulk and send it to customers abroad. With an international airport, the buyers can directly reach out to us. It will also help us source raw materials from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar and West Bengal,” said Ravi Rana, president of the Khurja Pottery Manufacturers’ Association.
The Noida International Airport, the official name of the Jewar airport, is likely to carry out its first test flight in March next year. Shailendra Bhatia, officer on special duty, Noida International Airport Ltd (NIAL), said that “the airport is currently undergoing runway layering work with installation of air navigation services to begin in December”. He agrees that the airport would transform the area and bring opportunities for local businesses and the people.
While it will be a “much-needed lifeline” for Khurja pottery, Rana of the pottery association said they’re hoping for a “fast-moving highway so that goods can easily reach the airport” as there is only a single road now connecting Khurja and Jewar.
“Local industry will surely benefit with the airport. Transportation, logistics, and exports will improve. Khurja will see major growth once flight operations start. Several new industries are also expected to come up,” said Ashutosh Singh, deputy commissioner (industries) at Bulandshahr’s industry centre.
Wheels of change
Considered to be the oldest glazed pottery in the country, the first manufacturing unit was set up in Khurja in 1922 and Khurja pottery got its geographical indication, or GI, tag in 1999. There are about 400 units now engaged in the craft that altogether employ close to 60,000 workers who use techniques like wheel-throwing, hand-building and slipcasting to churn out everything from cups and plates to bowls, vases and various decorative pieces.
In the beginning it had started with red clay pottery with the move to blue glaze work coming later. The clay is sourced from nearby areas, including the Yamuna riverbed, and is mixed with natural material like quartz and feldspar – which impart the glazed look. The technique was introduced in the early days and is still in use today.
“Once the clay is processed, it is put in moulds for shaping into various forms. The pieces are then processed in furnaces at temperatures of 1,150 - 1,200 degrees Celsius. A machine runs 24x7 on natural gas to produce nearly 1,200 cups of 100 ml each every 50 minutes. The final decoration with hand-made drawings and colours is done by skilled workers,” said Habib Ahmed, owner of a manufacturing unit.
Earlier, the clay products were left to dry in the sun for several days. While the natural drying process was replaced decades ago by large furnaces that ran on coal and oil, those in turn have now made way for natural gas in keeping with guidelines issued by the National Green Tribunal.
After drying, the pottery is polished and decorated with various colours and designs using natural pigments, giving it the easily recognisable finish associated with Khurja pottery.
