TRADITIONAL ARTIST OF BLACK POTTERY NATIONAL AWARD WINNER

Profile of Artist:

Sohit Kumar Prajapati comes from a traditional potter’s family. In initial days due to economic condition Sohit’s elder brother left for Bombay to earn money, he started selling Bhelpuri in the metropolitan city.

Later Sohit also joined his brother in Mumbai and started working as newspaper vendor and opened a bhelpuri stall. Sohit was doing all for the livelihood but was never happy with this work so he returned back to his village in Azamgarh.

All the households in Sohit’s village in Nizamabad, in the Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, earn their living by making black pottery. The craft originated from the Kutch region of Gujarat. Some potters of the region migrated to Nizamabad during the Mughal rule of Aurangzeb. Interestingly, it is the only place in India that makes black pottery with clay, unlike the stoneware from Northeast India. Sohit started making black pottery items and gradually this business started showing better results.

Soon he became the unofficial brand ambassador of black clay pottery. He also displayed his craft at the 55th General Assembly of the International Bureau of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Sohit hopes that with this recognition, the potters engaged in this industry will get more benefits for their work. Sohit believes that as he returned to his roots other youngsters are also coming back to their home and want to learn this skill which is becoming world famous,Black clay pottery is, indeed, a unique product of Indian craft making.

Contact Detail:

Name:	SOHIT KUMAR PRAJAPATI
Address:	Husainabad, Post &Tehsil – Nizamabad, Azamgarh (U.P.) Pin - 276206
Phone No:	9455003617, 8176875260
Whats app No:	9455003617
Email- Id:	sohitp2013@gmail.com