A dedicated and passionate blue pottery artist, Ram believes that an artist’s work never reaches its pinnacle. One has to keep on learning and experimenting with new things, constantly trying to improve their art.

Ram Gopal Saini is an artist and owner of Ram Gopal Blue Pottery in Jaipur.

Ram hails from Jaipur and spent his childhood there. He shares that Jaipur Blue Pottery is a unique form of pottery that is made from silica or quartz. Pots, vases, wall plates, etc. are made under this art. Blue Pottery is totally handmade, and no machines are used in its making.

Ram did his M.A. in painting and also his Ph.D. on the life and art of the great artisan Padma Shri Kripal Singh Shekhawat, whom he regards as the ‘Bhishm Pitamah’ of Blue Pottery in Jaipur. He says Blue Pottery had come to Jaipur a hundred years ago but had faded from the market over the years. It was revived in 1962 through the Sawai Ram Singh Art Institute in Jaipur. He shares that it is basically a Persian art that has been adopted by the artisans of Jaipur and is now known all over the world as Jaipur Blue Pottery. Different hues of blue are used in this art. Any piece goes through the hands of artists 42 times before it is completed.

Recalling his childhood, Ram says that he has been fascinated by the blue colour since his childhood. He used to do pencil sketches during his school days. He liked roaming in the mountains and painting landscapes. Then someone taught him miniature art. He even started earning some money through it at an early age. He used to go to the workshop of his Guru, Kripal Singhji, and watch him do blue pottery. Guruji asked him to try doing it. Gradually, he learned the art and became an expert in it.

Somehow, he felt restricted at his Guruji’s workshop, and so he wanted to open his own studio. His friend Ram Sahay provided him with space and also gave him some money to open his studio. He started working with a small capital. He put in innovative ideas and introduced new designs and patterns. People who were well entrenched in the trade tried to malign him and conspire against him. But, with his determination, he overcame all these hurdles and became highly successful and famous.

Sharing his COVID experiences, Ram says COVID affected their trade very much. As they depend mainly on foreign tourists, it was a big setback for them as tourists stopped coming. Several artisans in his group also quit the art and joined other regular jobs. All this affected production. However, on the other hand, as he had a lot of time, he experimented with new designs, shapes, and sizes. Online trading was also introduced in their business, which was previously nonexistent.

Talking about his achievements, Ram has been awarded several awards by the central and state governments for his work. In 2016, he was awarded the title of ‘Shilp Guru’ by the Government of India. He also received a national award in 2009.

If given a time machine to go back in time, Ram would like to learn a lot more about the art from his Guru, Kripal Singh Shekhawat.

In his free time, Ram says that he thinks about his art only and visualises new ideas about it. He also likes to go to natural places and hill stations. He also shares that his daughter, who has a Masters in International Business, has also started taking an interest in his business. She has introduced a fusion of modern contemporary art into the trade, which is highly appreciated.

Ram has always promoted and encouraged budding art students who come to him for projects while they are studying in various art schools.