Hands-on with tradition

Jingdezhen a town in the northeastern province of Jiangxi in China is known for white gold or simply porcelain Bustling with small garages and workshops of local artisans it has been dubbed the Porcelain Capital And 38yearold Abbas Galwani a potter based out of the narrow lanes of Kumbharwada in Dharavi was so inspired by its artistic magnificence that his determination to achieve a residency in the Chinese town translated into the development of an exclusive skillThe Galwani family hailing from Karachi has crafted diyas and matkas for Bollywood setsGiant pots are manufactured in Jingdezhen This requires artisans to master what is known in pottery lexicon as throwing which refers to the shaping of the clay from the time it touches the wheel It all seems elementary until the clay totals an approximate of 200 to 280 kilos Add one and a half hours to that equation and Galwani is the man to get the job done and perhaps the only one in the country to do so too Although being in pottery according to him doesnt do much harm to the profit margins the industry is stuck in a rutWe do not receive funding from the government unlike other countries So many potters resort to imported materials when we can in fact make them here ourselves But how will that become a reality when there is no investment in skill development he asks A thirdgeneration potter Galwani is keen on imparting both traditional and contemporary skills to newcomers and art enthusiasts He will be the guide for a walkthrough hosted by the Department of Ceramics and Pottery of IES College of Architecturemdash taking participants through the ancient pottery village in Mumbai where it all began with his grandfather Ismail Galwani who in 1921 travelled from Sindh to Kutch before settling in Kumbharwada Unlike other artisans in the vicinity Galwanis works go beyond ovenware and he also has international collaborations to his creditA variety of contemporary pots created by GalwaniYashashree Shildhankar head of department who has been teaching across colleges in the city realised the lack of connect students experience when they are confined to a studio space During my college years I recollect visiting Kumbharwada and there was so much inspiration to be drawn These days there is a shift towards the contemporary art form but what we see is only imitation not innovation she explains Shildhankar who recognised Galwanis unique ability to embrace and fuse both old and modern says that it is important to know the fundamentals than directly skipping to the basics As we move ahead you realise that the form keeps changing but the functionality and concept always stay the sameYashashree ShildhankarA lot today can also be drawn from the Indus Valley civilisation So the knowledge of historyalways helps with the future There is nothing like the old touch of things she addsAs for Galwani he hopes to give an insight into what is stopping Kumbharwada from being a pottery capital Participants will stand a chance to learn the technical knowhow as well as the commercial aspect But more importantly they need to understand what is lacking today he saysON August 10 9 amAT Kumbharwada Road Social Nagar Dharavi EMAIL iespotteryieseduCOST Rs 100Catch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates