Andretta Pottery: India’s Oldest Pottery Studio

‘Even a blind man can appreciate the beauty of pottery.’ This is an ancient Chinese proverb that rings true to this day. You don’t need eyes to see the beauty in pottery. The edges, the curves, the etchings, the inscriptions, the feel – all of these are more than enough to experience the art of clay.

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India is known for all forms of art, pottery being one of them. The art of making things with clay is underrated, many people take for granted the amount of time it takes to make a single item. The process involves moulding the clay, letting it set, glazing it, painting it, and treating it with heat – it is more than meets the eye.

Sardar Gurucharan Singh is known as ‘Master Potter’ for keeping the art of pottery alive in India. He, a geology major, understood minerals and ores, and put them to use while working at a pottery studio called ‘Delhi Pottery Works’. He realized that he had a genuine passion for pottery, and aimed to make a variety of pottery items affordable and available to everyone. He studied ceramics in Tokyo and made the decision to popularize pottery in India. He knew it would take a lot of work and sacrifice, but he vowed to do it.

His hard work and dedication paid off – he earned the title of ‘Father of Studio Pottery in India’.

In the 1950s, dealing with the effects of the Partition, he managed to receive some grants from the government to set up a Rural Marketing Centre in Andretta, Himachal Pradesh. The government eventually recognized his efforts and asked him to set up a Pottery Research Laboratory. In 1983, Mansimran, Gurcharan’s son, and his wife Mary, decided to establish Andretta Pottery and Crafts Society, an apex pottery studio even today. Their main goal was to continue their lineage by training local potters.

When Gurcharan began his trade, he faced innumerable challenges. Raw materials were not available easily because of low market consumption, and pottery studios had to be shifted to the outskirts of the city. Unfortunately, today, village pottery is slowly inching towards extinction. The government doesn’t pay enough attention to the needs of village artisans, nor do they assist them financially. Even though this is the case, Andretta still stays true to its roots, and the trials they go through keeps them going every day.

What is exclusive at Andretta Pottery is the designing process. Inspired by Himachali Kangni Rangoli, they strive to use local materials, use local talent with their own distinct styles, and ultimately, keep local heritage alive. They focus on art pottery, which is different from commercial pottery in the sense that each piece is handmade, which means each piece is unique and unlike another.

Some of the most admirable features of Andretta Pottery include the use of clay from the property itself, along with workshops and courses held for the public in the midst of the picturesque valleys. Those who take up the course are privy to everything that nature has to offer – raw materials sourced locally, a clean environment, fresh air, trekking, camping, and other activities that are prevalent in the area.

This quaint studio has brought India into the limelight regarding pottery and everything that it stands for: culture, heritage, tradition, and keeping up family legacies. A quote from Sardar Gurucharan sums it all up:

The human eye and the human hand are always subject to an element of error, and in this error, is the beauty of creation. The artist’s work will speak for itself-it is signature enough.