By Ritika Soun
In terms of its definition, Ceramic is a solid material comprising an inorganic compound of metal or metalloid and nonmetal with ionic or covalent bonds. Ceramics are all around us. The most common examples can be found around us, such as pots and pottery, coffee/tea mugs, soup bowls, and many others. Glass, tiles, porcelain, bricks, cement, diamond, and graphite-inferring to the fact that ceramics is a very broad term, and defining it accurately and fixedly is difficult. In our general understanding, ceramics are made by taking mixtures of clay, earthen elements, powders, and water and shaping them into desired forms. At some point or another, we all have found our right playing buddies/ toys with them. This is not new, rather it has its fair share of contribution to our parents, grandparents, and as well as our childhood.
Ceramics are not simply another material to make toys or playing aids, rather it has a larger goal associated with it, i.e. at the economic and societal sphere where it acts as a means of income generation for the potters (at large). Another element associated with it is that it is completely environment friendly – which, considering our current scenario is near to best; as every little step counts! Ceramics is one of the most ancient industries dating back thousands of years. Once humans discovered that clay could be found in abundance and formed into objects by first mixing with water and then firing, it led to the birth of a key industry. Moreover, if we trace back the genesis of our association with ceramics (in its broader form), particularly pots and pottery, it goes back to the first and one of the ancient civilizations witnessed in the Indian subcontinent – the Harappan Civilization or Indus Valley Civilization. They are discovered in the form of jars, vessels, and bowls.
Additionally, India still has several communities and groups who continue an age-old tradition and are attempting to preserve it for future generations to come. This not only comprises one of the famous Jaipur’s Blue Pottery or the usually glazed ceramics found in the markets, but India also has a flavour of its own hyperlocal pottery culture. For instance, Molela murtikala (Rajasthan), Bidriware (Karnataka), Terracotta Pottery from West Bengal, Black Pottery of Nizamabad (Uttar Pradesh), the eye-soothing Khavda Pottery from Gujarat and the rare Coil Pottery of Manipur and much more, if we dive deep into the land of clay cultures of India.
Moreover, the ancient Indian tradition of ceramics in India also resonates in the form of ancient Indian art. This category was also involved in diverse purposes – for trade and commerce, gifts and donations along with sculptures and decorative artefacts. These, over the period, have evolved and changed, owing to the acculturation experienced during the period.
Ceramics fall under the umbrella of soil, which makes it imperative to establish a link with agriculture. It is and was the basic foundation for all the civilizations at some point in time. As far as the Indian economy and at large, society is concerned – it acts as a backbone. If we move towards its philosophical sense and meaning, the human body is the constituent of panch tattvas and one of them being Prithvi, bringing us back to our foundational stage – soil.
Ceramics also have numerous health benefits, which have turned the wheel of ceramic usage to cookwares. Ceramic cookware has been a popular option for many home cooks since the turn of the 20th century. These products provide attractive cookware that’s great for all levels of meal preparation – from mixing ingredients to cooking, and even for serving and storing. Ceramicwares offer attractive features, including aesthetically beautiful pieces, one-dish meal wonders, and surfaces that won’t even absorb the smell or flavour of foods that have been cooked in the past. In addition to it, the enhanced taste is worth the shift. Retrospection about it and imagining the cookwares and (meal) dishes of our distant past – we can surely say that they were not primitive but way ahead of their times. While on the other hand the ceramic cookwares have their cut-throat competition with the once-popular non-stick cookware, (ceramic wares) won the hearts and received a green flag from the health-conscious and the aesthetic-decorative-bend of mind populace.
Furthermore, the ceramic wares are entirely made from clay and earth minerals and the process of making these cookwares is to bake which due to its heated temperature kills its impurities (if any). Moreover, ceramics in the majority of its forms is not only healthy for humans but it is a blessing for our environment as well. Ceramics in comparison to all other materials have far less and a much smaller negative impact on our environment. Ceramics possess versatility, durability, and affordability. They truly have a very flexible and inclusive nature which makes them effortlessly beautiful and efficient in all its forms.
By the turn of the 20th century and increased by the 21st century has provided a new launchpad for ceramics. It has gathered a new audience in the markets where they are the new aesthetics and the new decor adorning houses and kitchens.
Ritika is a museum enthusiast and likes to explore the diverse arts, culture and heritage of India. Living in a country which has been the storehouse of history in its every nook and crannies, it becomes really difficult for her to remain aloof from it for long. She believes that the community needs to know about this and this is what she is striving to achieve.
