For the Gallery’s June Film Night, see Nirmal Chander’s documentary The Lotus and the Swan, spotlighting the inspiring tale of Sardar Gurcharan Singh, founder of Delhi Blue Pottery in India. Afterwards, you will have a chance to see his work on display as part of our Art Without Heroes: Mingei exhibition.

The Lotus and the Swan (2023)

Directed by Nirmal Chander. Produced by Delhi Blue Pottery Trust.

“​Hands destined to mould a thing of beauty​”.

Thus wrote James Cousins, eminent writer, of a young Sikh potter he met in Japan in 1922. The film celebrates the life and legacy of S​ardar Gurcharan Singh​, the father of studio pottery in India. Daddyji, as he came to be fondly called, introduced ​the ​underpaid and undervalued craft of pottery to the imagination of the ​Indian ​​mass​es​ with plates, jugs and teapots, ensur​ing that ​colour and beauty ​are accessible to everybody.

71 mins. With English subtitles.

About Nirmal Chander:

Nirmal Chander has worked in the field of non-fiction since 1996 as editor, director and producer. He has directed more than 10 documentaries and has over thirty editing credits. His films have travelled to many international festivals, winning multiple awards and receiving appreciation for their choice and presentation of characters, storytelling skills and humanistic approach. Some of his films have been telecast on BBC Online and Indian TV channels such as NDTV and Doordarshan. He is the recipient of three National Film Awards from the President of India for excellence in cinema and his documentary Moti Bagh was an Oscar entry from India in 2019.

This event forms part of the Mingei on the Move public programme, designed in response to the Gallery’s Art Without Heroes: Mingei exhibition. The programme spotlights the diasporic nature of Mingei and why artists from all cultures and backgrounds are continually inspired by the movement’s ethos.

Image: Still from The Lotus and the Swan, Nirmal Chander