Pottery with the creative touch

From the traditional clay pottery that we see all around us to ceramic; pottery has evolved over a period of time.From a small village in Bihar comes a man who belongs to a family of potters.B R Pandit learnt pottery by observing his father right from an early age.But back then pottery was just playing with clay on a wheel and making pots for daily use in the kitchen.He was never really introduced to the outside world.The technology he learnt with was bare minimum.Besides the artist was never really open to new things.As time passed by he moved to Mumbai seeking happiness and meaning in life.The traditional potter was introduced to technology by studying pottery at various schools and colleges in and around Mumbai.The heart of the city loved his work.He was one of the most unique potters that Mumbai had ever seen.With the respect he had with his name he soon began to travel all over India to showcase his work.He had his big break when he visited Japan for a Pottery Demo workshop.There he taught at the Indian council in Japan about pottery.At the same time he was aware about studio pottery but lacked the technical knowledge to perfect the art of studio pottery.In Japan he learnt from one of the potters about using advanced technology in pottery.Studio pottery differs from the normal pots that we see.Studio pots are more durable and fancier.They are considered to be a piece of art, and collectors item.After trial and error of over two years he perfected studio pottery and was soon termed the only Indian to be a studio potter from a traditional background.Soon Pandit started his own studio known as Pandit Art Ceramic.Seeing the maestro at work, his sons Abhay Pandit and Sheilesh Pandit too took an interest in pottery.The entire family manages the workshop and travels across India exhibiting creativity and selling masterpieces.Pandit is an international celebrity travelling across countries to conduct workshops and hold exhibitions.He has travelled to Germany, Spain, Hong Kong Bangkok, Taiwan and few other countries for the same purpose.His work became so popular that in 2008 he received the Shipa Guru Award by the President of India, and also signed a contract worth of six lakhs for five pots, which would be displayed at the Presidents museum.For the first time in Bangalore, Pandit and his sons hosted a ceramic exhibition at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath from September 6 to 8.The exhibition had only his latest work on ceramic pots such as Stone Sculpture Copper Red Vase and the eye-catching Raku Smoke Pot and Crystalline vase.Raku Smoke pot is a matte finish clay pot with intricate designs in black.The designs are not painted but are done with the help of smoke.After a particular procedure the carbon dioxide sticks on the clay giving it a black coat.The Crystalline Vase is their best work.The pot made out of white clay is mixed with Zinc and Titanium at the kiln.Titanium and Zinc melt at high temperature and eventually sticks to the clay.Since this can not be controlled, every pot is unique.No two pots can be of the same design.To give it the perfect look each pots take over a week to prepare.The exhibition witnessed good response from Bangalore.The venue was kept busy through out the day and the exhibition sold over 30 pots during the three-day span.The pots were ranged between Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 18,000.Pandit said, “Studio pottery is new in Bangalore, and people find it strange and unique.The trend has not developed yet here but it will soon pick up.But a lot people who visited the exhibition seemed to be interested in studio pottery .” Said Abhay, “We will soon be returning with more pots and unique designs to Bangalore.We are happy with the response and the platform provided to us to show case our talent.”