Srinagar youth revives the dying art of Kashmir’s glazed pottery

Kumar, a commerce graduate, used to work with his father in his pottery shop and ultimately stepped into father’s shoes. “Everyday I used to spend some hours with my father, Abdul Salam Kumar, a seasoned potter who began his journey in the art of pottery at the age of 10 at his pottery shop but I never thought of pursuing my career in pottery. I studied commerce and completed graduation but I saw the art which was quite famous during the 1980s dying a slow death. I eventually decided to continue the family legacy and learn the art to make it my profession,” says Kumar with a smile.

Kumar while reviving Kashmir’s traditional craft makes various items by using waste products like glass panes, battery cells, eggshells, dry cell rods and a metal for colour combination.

Such is the popularity of Kumar’s exquisite glazed pottery that during the recent Group of Twenty (G20) tourism meeting in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir his products were displayed during the event.

For the first time since the Indian government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scrapped the special status of Jammu & Kashmir and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two union territories — J&K and Ladakh on August 5, 2019, the scenic region hosted G20 event, bringing the world’s major economies accounting for more than 80 per cent of world GDP and 75 per cent of global trade to an international forum between May 22-24, which was attended by a number of dignitaries from across the world.

During the three day long G20 summit in Srinagar Kumar displayed different items crafted by his golden hands.

“The G20 dignitaries from various countries while visiting the craft centre were impressed to see my handmade items, mainly clay made chinar, glazed tile and clock. Taking advantage of this prestigious opportunity, I have meticulously painted the G20 logos on pottery items with a hope that this will enhance our market appeal.”

Kumar claims that his handmade items are competitively priced compared to products from other states yet the market is sluggish, leaving potters and artists frustrated.

The rate of clay made items Kumar sells costs anywhere between Rs 50 to Rs 3,000.

Glazed pots sitting outside Mohammad Umar Kumar's shop in Srinagar.

During the previous year Kumar had crafted and delivered 15,000 earthen lamps (diyas) for the festival of Diwali.

"I received an order of 15,000 lamps for Diwali from a dealer in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Making thousands of lamps in a short period of time was a tough challenge but I completed the task within the deadline,” Kumar tells Moneycontrol.

Inside his unit in Nishat and also at the main showroom in Hazratbal area of Srinagar Kumar has displayed a number of his creations on the potter’s wheel which includes glazed clay rice bowls, flower pots, jugs, tiles and a variety of hand-made decorative items made from clay.

Umar, besides working on the earthen lamps also make “Tumbaknaris” Kashmiri musical instruments made from clay and used for singing in Kashmiri weddings, with its roots believed to stretch far back into Iran or Central Asia.

He also makes earthen pots for kangris, traditional wicker-based firepots to keep people warm throughout the winter and one of his most popular items are decorative tiles that have a design of chinar leaves.

Kumar attributes the fading craft a shot in the arm for the family, intricately involved in the art for decades.

According to Kumar the families involved in common pottery in Srinagar city have reduced from 500 to just 40.

Mohammad Umar Kumar at an exhibit.

“I learnt glazed pottery from a senior artisan Ghulam Muhammad Kumar, the only artisan alive to know the art in Kashmir Valley. The 81-year-old artist from Khanyar area of Srinagar made me learn the art of making colours. After learning it from an octogenarian, I decided to teach the skill to youngsters in a bid to keep it from sliding into obscurity. The art had almost vanished when I reintroduced it a few years before,” he says.

Currently only Kumar and his aged teacher are are engaged in the making of glazed pottery in the region.

During the past two years Kumar claims to have trained around 17 people, mostly youths who are now shaping up their careers in glazed pottery.

Regarding the crafting of glazed pottery items Kumar says that a clay made item is created and then the item is coloured in fire.

The tiles Kumar makes are made from different raw materials including zinc, glass and copper, besides iron dust for red colour and black from dry (battery) cells.

“Our pottery pots are very cheap compared to machine-made items from China and America which are way expensive and unhygienic.”

According to Kumar the glazed pottery of Kashmir while comparing with the pottery from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat are different in various aspects. “We only rely on traditional ways of making glazed pottery in Kashmir. For example, our formula and raw materials used in glazed pottery is different from other states of India. Also, we make items as per our regional demand and market.”

Kumar adds that while making young people in the Valley learn the art he found young boys and girls reluctant to get their hands dirty with clay. “To learn a skill or art, hard work and patience is a must and on top of that hand-made pots made of clay are hygienic and beneficial for health. Even doctors are recommending patients to use earthen pots for daily use,” Kumar claims.

He suggests that young people who are looking for jobs can learn the art and create enormous opportunities for themselves.

Mohammad Umar Kumar at an exhibit.

While acknowledging the support and promotion of glazed pottery by the department of handicrafts Kashmir, Kumar seeks help from the government to obtain a modern pottery-making machine due to which he believes he would preserve the fading art form.

Kumar now hopes to give the pottery industry a new lease of life by introducing more young people to the craft. “I want to see our hand-made pottery items from Kashmir Valley being sold across the world.”