Block Carving Tradition of Pilkhuwa, UP

Pilkhuwa, Uttar Pradesh

BLOCK CARVING

Aayush Tanwar

Alankriti Garg

Digital publication of student document for private circulation only This craft documentation has been written, edited, illustrated, designed and photographed by student researchers Aayush Tanwar & Alankriti Garg Textile and Apparel Design 2019 - 2023 c National Institute of Design Village Umri, Kurukshetra, Haryana 1136131 All rights reserved under international copyright convention. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-copy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Block Carving Pilkhuwa NIDH 2022

BLOCK CARVING Pilkhuwa, Uttar Pradesh

Authors Aayush Tanwar Alankriti Garg

Guide Dr. Shruti Singh Tomar

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Acknowledgements We take this opportunity to thank National Institute of Design to have given us this opportunity of undertaking a craft documentation project, as part of our curriculum.

We would like to express our gratitude and deep regards to our guide, Dr. Shruti Singh Tomar, for her guidance and monitoring throughout the course of this project.

We are forever indebted to the artisan families of Pilkhuwa, Uttar Pradesh for their valuable information and kind co-operation. Especially, Arshaad Kafeel ji for his kindness and willingness in sharing about his legacy of Block Carving, without which this documentation would never have been possible. Lastly, we would like to thank our parents and our friends for their constant encouragement and support.

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Preface At National Institute of Design, students undergo Craft Documentation, a research-based module, that allows us to comprehend India's indigenous craft culture. Traditionally, students stay on field and understand the craft traditions, the great wisdom acquired by the artisanal families after years of practicing and perfecting their skill, in terms of their culture, processes, tools, forms, motifs, colours and materials.

In the current covid scenario, visiting these craft clusters has been a challenge, but the students have found their ways through the situation to understand and study about one such craft of Block Making in a small town of Pilkhuwa, Uttar Pradesh. Pilkhuwa emerged as a great hub for various handloom and printed textiles celebrated all over northern India. The blocks used and carved for these printing traditions, are a symbol of the intricacy and artistry of the block carvers. The craft document, thus aims at honoring these blocks, its makers and their history.

Library Block, National Institute of Design, Kurukshetra Photo Source - Sindhu Kumar

Students went about their field research in the Chippiwara Mohalla of Pilkhuwa for two days.

It was an informative fieldwork, which comprised of conversations, observations, learning about the craft, to get a holistic experience.

The study also includes findings and researches from different thesis available online.

The documentation comprises of data revolving around the block carving tradition of Pilkhuwa- tracing its history, process and the aspirations of the artisans, who have kept the tradition alive.

It outsets with an introduction of the place, its history, and markets, then towards the craft in terms of its history, tools, process, compositions and finally looks at the crafts from a systematic point of view of what it can be. It analysis the relationship between the maker and the craft and their interdependency in sustaining of the craft.

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Contents 1. Introduction - Uttar Pradesh

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2. Pilkhuwa - About the Place, Transport, Markets, Town

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3. Crafts of Pilkhuwa - Printing, Weaving

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4. Block Carving - History

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5. Block Carvers - Babu Chaape Wala, Ashrad Kafeel ji

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6. Workshop and Space

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7. Making of Blocks - Wood, Tools, Process

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8. Motif Composition of Block Printed Textiles

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9. Motif Language

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10. Innovation - Brass Inlay

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11. Product Diversification - Current Market, Collaboration

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12. Our Reflection

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13. Glossary

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14. References, Bibliography

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Introduction

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh literally translates to the northern state and is the fourth largest state of India. It lies in the north-central part of the country. It is bordered by the state of Uttarakhand and the country of Nepal to the north, the state of Bihar to the east, the states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to the southeast, the state of Madhya Pradesh to the south, and the states of Rajasthan and Haryana and the national capital territory of Delhi to the west.

The state is a home to some of the extremely diverse and culturally rich cities of Agra, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Merutt and Prayagraj. Because of its position in the heart of Ganga Plains, the state has been a focal point to many historical events. One such period in its history, was that under the rule of Mughal Dynasty. This period lead to the development of many significant architectural landmarks, arts and crafts practices that are prevalent even today. Some of these

timeless crafts that evolved are stone and marble crafts of Agra, pottery of Khurja, chikankari and zardosi embroidery of Lucknow, bangle making of Firozabad, carpet making of Bhadohi and wood carving and inlay work of Nagina.

The north western belt of the state starting from Sahranpur to Bijnor, Nagina, Pilkhuwa, Farurukhabad and Mainpuri are some of the major centers famous for their intricate wood carvings and metal and brass inlay articles. These wood carving craft

Wooden box carved by Sardar Husain ji from Pilkhuwa (Farukkhabad ) Source, Personal Collection of Arshad Kafeel ji

traditions dates back to the Mughal era. It is believed that some of the wood carvers moved from Iran to Uttar Pradesh and settled in Nagina and nearby villages, where Indian rosewood was readily available.

(Rashmi Sacher, 2018)

Sheesham Wood Handcrafted Box With Brass-Copper Inlay from Sahranpur. Source - Central Cottage Industries Emporium wesbite

Each of this wood carving center has developed a speciality in their domain, but when seen together, one can find similarities and connections from their motif language, to product styles, techniques and tools used.

This is mainly because the different centers have a shared history. With the Mughal influence, the history of trade and exports with the European countries during the British rule, has also influenced the nature of products and outputs from the block carving techniques.

The continuation of the craft and technique of block carving through generations is because of the effort and determination of the block carvers in sustaining and passing on the skill to their children.

Wooden box carved on ebony wood by Mohammed Matloob's from Nagina Source, Google Arts and Culture

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HANDLOOM NAGAR

PILKHUWA

Signage on the National Highway after crossing the toll tax booth, before Pilkhuwa starts.

Pilkhuwa Coming from the metropolitan city of Delhi, the town of Pilkhuwa had a nostalgic feeling. Pilkhwa is famous for its rich history rooted in the techniques of printing, weaving and block making practiced there. For the craft documentation study, the students road journey to Pilkhuwa was very interesting. One is likely to experience huge Sarkanda crops grown along the road side. Ruins of interesting architectual buildings, long white pieces of cloth spread on the fields for drying, large scale factories like that of Mother Dairy and Steel products can also be seen on the way.

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About the Place Pilkhwa is a town and a municipal board in Hapur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located 12 kms from Hapur. The town is enclosed with national capital of India, Delhi on the west, Agra and town of Farukkhabad on the south, Muzzafarnagar on the north and town of Bareilley on the east. The geographical coordinates of the town are 28° 42 degree to 31.9716 degree north latitude and 77° 39 degree to 20.6856 degree east latitude.

Transport

Market

By Air - Indira Gandi International Airport in Delhi is the nearest airport, around 70 kms away from the town of Pilkhuwa.

The main Delhi Merutt Expressway is built on the town of Pilkhuwa. The region beneath the expressway experiences travellers and commuters quite often. This has allowed different essential shops to be settled around the area.

By Road - Pilkhuwa is located on the National Highway-9, which connects Delhi to Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh.

By Delhi Metro - Ghaziabad, situated on the red line is the nearest metro station which can be taken to reach Pilkhuwa.

Different restaurants and dhabas and food stalls can be seen. Essential shops like that of tyre changing and food supplies are also present. Another distinguishing visual is the presence of very colourful towels and bedsheets hanging in front of different handloom and textile stores.

Illustration of the towels hanging in front of the road side shops under the highway in Pilkhuwa .

Roads of Pilkhuwa, beneath the Delhi - Merutt expressway.

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Town of Pilkhuwa Streets of Pilkhuwa, have a combination of visuals, both of a village and of a town. From the main road beneath the highway, wider lanes lead to the inside of the town. The houses situated in this part are newly built. Traces of modern construction materials like coloured tiles on the exterior of the house can be seen. Use of steel grills with flower designs was very common. There are a few cars parked in front of the houses. Even the floor here is layed with pavement cement tiles.

As one moves ahead, it is seen that this part of the town is separated from the other part by a railway track laid in between. On initiating conversations with the locals, it was found that the new side was earlier a land with wild trees and bushes. Slowly as the population and market grew, people started settling on these lands. This part of the town smelled like manure and cow dung because of the cow dung cakes kept for drying against the railway track divider wall.

The railway track acts as a divider between the town. The phatak was like a gathering point for the people of the town. There were different kinds of small shops for household items and snacks, and thelas selling sugarcane juice, a shoe maker and groups of boys chatting around. After crossing the phatak, the kind of smell one experiences, changes. There is a big open gutter on the side, the colour of which seemed to be a pink red on the second field visit day.

This area is known as the Arya Nagar Tanki Compound. Around the water tank, different shops like that of hardware parts, plumbing shops, stationary and internet shops and retail clothing shops were present.

Cows sitting near the railway track lane, along with cow dung cakes made and set to dry. The cemented walls in the image depict the division of town in two parts.

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popluation in this area. In front of most of the house, were little girls and women with stack of printed bedsheets around them.

Sitting and knotting the warp yarns for the finishing of these bedsheets. Lanes of Chippiwara are full of commotion. They are filled with retail shops selling coloured fabrics, and clothes of different kinds. On every nook and corner there are tailors and people selling sewing machines. One of the shop also had different kinds of embroidery machines installed to be done on fabric. Godowns filled with bundles of screen printed bedsheets and some stacked with planks of wood could also be seen. In various disposal grounds between buildings, lied large screens, they were old and rusty, indicative of their prolonged use.

Arya Nagar Tanki Compund, Pilkhuwa

The nukkad of the Arya Nagar Tanki Compund is usually a crowded spot. The lanes from here lead to the area of Chippiwara, which is named after the people of the Chippa Community, which are known for their chappai work, that is the printing of blocks on fabrics.

From here onwards, one can notice a change in the town setting. The lanes start getting narrower and congusted. The construction of houses seem very old. Chipped paint on the exteriors, exposed brick walls and extensions made in front of the houses, were people sat and chatted. Through these lanes, there is a very prominent smell of cooked meat, which directed towards the presence of a dominant Muslim

Vehicle used during the baarat ceremony in Indian weddings, lying near railway phatak

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Crafts Of Pilkhuwa Since the beginning, the historical significance of Pilkhuwa is due to the handloom fabric produced in the region. In older times, several communities resided in the town of Pilkhuwa. But people of kori community were one of the first communities to reside here and produced hand woven cloth on the loom.

Slowly different communities started to emerge around the making of the same textile. Like, hindu community of rohilla, who were involved with the block printing of this kora fabric. These started to be called as the chippas, for their chapai work. The area they lived in also came to known as Chippiwara. Extensive printing and dyeing activities were carried out here.

The finished product for one community was the raw material for the next. Eventually, the market and demand increased, and the muslim block making community, migrated from Farrukhabad.

They started living here, and practiced block carving. Soon, with the decline of block prints, few carvers adopted the techniques of brass inlay with wood carving, influenced from neighbouring towns of Bijnor and Sahranpur.

Now, what was initially a village producing hand woven fabric, evolved into a center for weaving, printing, dyeing, block carving and tarkashi work. This slow transition is influenced by many socio economic factors, like the supply demand chain, availability of raw materials, accesibility to market, passing of skills and improvement in technology.

In the current scenario, Pilkhuwa is losing its identity as a traditional textile center. Handmade has turned mechanised. Powerlooms have replaced handloom, and blocks are being replaced by screens. The situation is such, that only a handful of traditional artisans can be found now.

The intermingling of community and production processes is still evident in the streets of Pilkhuwa. Even before entering the town, one can notice metres of fabric spread on the fields for drying, as a pre treatment process for dyeing. Most of the households are involved in related activities like, stitching, embroidering, finishing, packaging and transportation of the finished products like, bedsheets, towels and tripals.

Weaving In Pilkhuwa, during the older times, people of the Kori community, used to weave fabrics using the handloom, which was regionally called as khaddi ka kapda. It was used as a base fabric for khes, bedsheets or as a running fabric, which was later block printed. The fabric produced was coarse in texture. This cotton fabric was produced in different qualities, and designs like plain or striped patterns.

Slowly, with the advancement and increasing competition among producers in global market, the weavers of Pilkhuwa adapted to the modern machinery. This helped them to cater to the market demand in terms of increased production and improved quality. By the use of powerloom, producers could increase their market supply, which led to shifting from the traditional handlooms to power looms.

In the current scenario, the traditional handloom weaving culture of this area has totally vanished. There is not even a single weaver producing hand woven cloth.

With the advent of power looms, weaving of canvas fabric, locally known as tripal grew popularity. It is used for making of bags and sacks for transporting materials and as soft roofs in heavy load vehicles like trucks.

Powerloom industry in Pilkhwua Source - www.swadesi.com/news/pilkhuwa/

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Block Printing Block Printers in Pilkhuwa have been practicing block printing using the hand carved blocks since the early 18th century. It is one of the oldest type of printing. But with the coming of faster techniques of screen printing, this tradition is hardly practiced anymore.

Initially, the artists employed natural colours for printing, but today they use both vegetable and synthetic dyes. The printing begins on the left and works its way to the right. Color is added to the elevated sections of the block in the form of a thicker paste, and the pattern is imprinted by hand stamping the block on the cloth to be printed.

First, the colour paste is applied to the sieve cloth. The block is put gently on the sieve and pushed many times to pick up a homogeneous coating of paste. It is then stamped on the tablecloth

Export Block carved out by Babbu Chippe Wala on a sheesham wood

Illustration of the block printing tradition. The print drawn is for reference purpose, and not the depiction of any orignal print

A different sieve is required for each colour, however the same swimming tub may be reused. The pattern is built up by stamping different colour paste repeatedly, and the procedure is done until all of the colours are separately applied and the entire piece of fabric is printed. It is then removed, dried, and subjected to a proper after-treatment.

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For designs with various colours, each printer is assigned a separate colour. After the first printer, the second printer dips his block in colour again, this time utilising the point or guide for exact registration to fill in the colour. If there is a third colour, it is followed in the same manner. A single colour design may be completed quickly, but a multiple colour design requires more effort and colour consumption. In the Pilkhuwa printing tradition, a use of minimum three to six colours can be commonly seen. ( GI Journal 48, 2012)

Screen Printing People of Pilkhuwa are widely using the process of screen printing to produce bedsheets for supplying to nearby areas. Godowns filled with screen printed bedsheets is a common sight in every nook and corner of the town.

This widely used process requires a high level of expertise and talent. In this method, the silk bolting cloth stretched on the screen frame is treated with a photosensitive solution. A section of the pattern exhibiting one colour is drawn individually on tracing paper with strong opaque black ink. After that, the screen is cleaned with warm water. After drying in a hot atmosphere, the gelatine layer is strengthened with acid, alkali, and organic solvent-resistant lacquer.

When the design comprises more than one colour, the method is repeated, but this time using a different tracing paper and a separate

screen for each colour of the design, resulting in as many screens as the number of colours in the pattern.

The colour paste is initially put at the bottom end of the screen’s shallow trough and pulled over with two or three strokes of the wiper with uniform pressure, transferring the colour to the fabric below. The screen is then raised from this point, repeating the procedure, and then to the previous location, and so on (missing one spot each time) until the entire table length is covered. The fabric is then dried by heating the tables or blowing hot air on it, and the printing is done in places. Until the entire length has been printed in the first colour. The same method is then used for the pattern’s second and subsequent colours. (GI Journal 48, 2012)

Sample of screen printed bedsheet produced in today’s time.

Image Source - India Mart, Pilakhwua bedsheets product catalogue

Three examples of hand drawn designs brought in from the block carvers of Farukkhabad.

Image Source - Personal Collection of Arshad Kafeel ji

Block Carving History of the Craft Pilkhuwa’s dyeing, printing, and weaving history dates back to approximately 150-200 years. Pilkhuwa’s historical significance stems from the production of its handloom fabric. Previously, the Kori community which resided in this area produced large quantities of hand woven cotton fabrics, which were further block printed and used as bedsheets and other household items. They installed large number of handlooms, regionally known as Haath ki khaddi. The woven textiles, kora kapda were sold in local painth, or haat, where traders from adjacent places would buy raw materials for making further end products. ( Hema Upadhya and Alka Goel, 2020 )

Along with the production of woven textiles, block printing work was also carried out in the region. Many families were engaged in chapai of this kora fabric. But the hand carved blocks used in printing of these fabrics were transported from Farrukhabad to create these patterns. They were never made out in Pilkhuwa, initially.

Most of the artisans skilled in block carving were settled in Farrukhabad, which is a town 300 kms from Pilkhuwa. The Farrukhabad blocks were thought to be of the highest quality, and the patterns were also unique.

Previously, the designer would come from Farrukhabad and deliver drawings created on cards exhibiting various colours and themes.

Then the chippas of Pilkhuwa would choose the designs of the blocks, and the Farrukhabad block maker would carve them out.

The growth in demand and output created an oppututnity for these block carvers to be close by. Artisans of Farrukhabad saw a need and few families started to relocate to Pilkhuwa, in order to save time and money on transportation costs when bringing in blocks.

This would increase their efficency and communication between the printer and the carver.

According to Sabir Chippawala, son of Babu Chippawala and the third generation working in this block carving technique, the block carving tradition flourished as a result of these Farrukhabad families settling in Pilkhuwa.

By the late 80s, the demand of block printing started decreasing.

The time consuming process of hand printing and the costs of production were a big liability to the producers, in lieu to the newer techniques of screen printing. Thus a lot of artisans, started to shift to screen printing and block printing fell dramatically in the late 90s. This shift to newer techniques resulted in textiles, which were an amalgamation of traditional skills, and modern techniques. The essence of Pilkhwa, rooted in its technique of block carving, start to descend. In the current scenario there are only a few block carvers

A 50 years old Rekh block carved by father of Baabu Chappe Wala

family remaining in Pilkhuwa. By the late 80s, the demand of block printing started decreasing. The time consuming process of hand printing and the costs of production were a big liability to the producers, in lieu to the newer techniques of screen printing. Thus a lot of artisans, started to shift to screen printing and block printing fell dramatically in the late 90s. This shift to newer techniques resulted in textiles, which were an amalgamation of traditional skills, and modern techniques. The essence of Pilkhwa, rooted in its technique of block carving, started to descend. In the current scenario there are only a few block carvers family remaining in Pilkhuwa.

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Block Carvers Journey of a Block Carver

The illustration shows the process of smoothing the wood block by rubbing it on the pathar, with ret and water

The journey from being an apprentice, learning the intricacies of block carving, to being a master craftsman is a long one. A child, attempting to learn the skills of carving the design on a piece of wood, would usually start by treating the piece of wood to make the surface fine. This was the first step and a very important step in the ladder. It was carried out in two stages.

First being sanding and levelling the piece of wood with a jack plane, locally called as a randha. After levelling the surface, the next step is to smoothen it and make it chikna. For this, the learner would need a pathar, ret, some water and the wooden block. Ret is a kind of sand used in the construction work. This process involved intense rubbing of the piece of wood against the surface of the stone with the paste of ret and water in between.

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The success of the process was determined when the grey coloured ret would start sticking to the wood piece and turn red due to the red colour released by the sheesham wood.

Arshad ji narrated his memory of this process quoting, “Dada hamara kehta tha, abe ghis diya? Toh utha ke dikha, toh dur se dekh ke agar ret chipak gaya, toh theek hai jao.

Warna nahi abhi nahi chipka hai, aur ghiso”

Fig 1 This is a traced illustration of the dutta block drawn by Arshad Kafeel ji, showing the ‘datta’ design given to beginners.

Fig 2 The illustration depicts the second stage, where the areas between the solid petals are carved into lines.

After smoothing and levelling of wood, the step is to start practising the actual carving of block. The learner usually picks up these skills by observing kaarigars around the workshop and his own family members practising. As Arshad ji recalls “solid banate the pehle”, which means the first step in the learning process is starting to work on a datta block. Datta means a filler block. The apprentice is instructed to carve the base wood of the block, called as zameen chilna. The stage involves a lot of chilna and kaatna of the block, attempting to achieve the carved design of the leaves and petals. This design is made up of solid bold elements and lack intricate details, as shown in Fig 1.

Arshad ji started this learning process when he was a child in sixth standard. He would come back from the school to their family workshop, sit by his grandfather, Lt Anwar Hussain ji. who would

Fig 3 The illustration depicts the changes in designin terms of complexity of the details and fineness of the rekh lines.

keep monitoring his process. He quoted “starting me toh patti tedhi medhi ban jaati thi, phir dheere dheere samajh aata tha” As the learner starts to understand the basic eye hand coordination required, the design starts getting a little complex, the area between the solid petals is also chiselled, forming a thick line, shown in Fig 2. The last learning stage is the introduction of the rekh block, with increased complexity and details, refer to Fig 3.

The journey of perfecting the skills lies in practising and attention to detail. The process demands patience, determination and a great deal of enthusiam. The main driving force for the learners is the responsibility to take their family legacy of wood carving forward.

When asked Arshad ji about who teaches them the techniques of carving, he quoted, “machli ko koi tairna thodi na sikhata hai.”

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Trisection area around Babu Chaape Wala’s workshop.

Artisan Profiling

At a trisection of the lanes of Chippiwara, lies a small workshop, with a printed flex board of a food catering service. But as one shifts their focus a little to the south, stacks of wood pieces, cut and stored in a perfect rhythm can be seen. This is the workshop of Babu Chippawala. His ancestory plotted back in Pilkhuwa, unlike the other block carver’s families, most of who have migrated from Farrukhabad. Block carving was their prime source of livelihood, and this skill was passed on from generation to generation in this family.

Baabu Chaape Wala & Sabir Chaape Wala

This location of the market was very congusted and chaotic. There was a constant commotion of cars passing by, momentary traffic jams because of the thelas and passerbys was a common sight. Next to their shop, lied another small workshop of a block maker. And in front of that was a small food shop, selling khamiri roti and korma which is a beloved mughlai dish combination.

Workshop of Babu Chaape Wale, in Chippiwara Pilkhuwa

Their workshop was a rectangular space, deep enough with no source of external light. At the back of the room, different supplies, cardboard boxes, newspapers, block of wood were stored, covered in dust. Along the green walls, slabs of sheesham wood were cut and stored forming a graceful pattern, perfectly over the other in alternate lines. Most of these woods are sourced from the local woodcutters in the area.

Sabir ji worked on a datta, filler block for a screen printed bedsheet pattern, while Babu ji was busy carving a peacock motif on a one inch sheesham block, to be sent to Delhi and used as an export item for decorative purposes. Sabir ji narrated an anecdote to them, where in he explained how he hit his finger with the imli ki thapi while carving a block. It was so strong that his finger swelled and he was unable to carve blocks for some time, thus he traced designs in the meantime.

These artisans mentioned about the lack of orders for the hand carved printing blocks. As a means to sustain, they accept all kinds of work and designs coming their way, like export blocks or inlay work. On further discussions, they conveyed about their dissatisfaction of not getting the deserved fame and respect in the art of block carving tradition, in comparison to Arshaad Kafeel ji and his family.

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Arshad Kafeel Ji Arshad ji is the son of Shilp Guru Sardar Hussain Ji, whose block carving workshop was located in the area of Chippiwara.

Arshad ji and his brother are the fifth generation in their family, to take the legacy of their wood carving tradition forward, through their company, Sajawat Handicrafts. He was very welcoming to the student researchers, and took great pride in their family legacy of wood carving. He dreams of building his own kaarkhana, a space where he can have designated space for the various stages of the handicraft products, and a nice office for him, and all the visitors that comes to him, curious about his skill.

After his father’s death in 2021, Arshad ji has been alone. The entire responsibility of opening workshop, managing daily tasks, checking on orders, production and designing elements fall on him.

Their company has been working with big brands like Fab India since the last 15 years now. But he is not satisfied with the experience of the process, in terms of creative freedom. Big brands, focus on cutting costs and increasing production. They have deadlines to meet and orders to deliver, if not done on time, artisan’s payment will be cut. Arshad ji personally enjoys working with designers, because he knows they value him and his art. In his current project with an architect, he quoted “meri behen ki shaadi me mehmaann neeche the, aur maine upar design set kar liye the”. This clearly indicates his passion and love for his art of block carving.

Trisection area around Babu Chaape Wala’s workshop.

Family History and Divison Anwar Hussain ji, grandfather of Arshad Kafeel ji was a block carver in Farrukhabad. Artisans from Farrukhabad would regurarly come to Pilkhwua, to take orders for the carving of printing blocks.

Once someone asked him to shift to Pilkhuwa, for better oppututnities in their block carving business. The family shifted to Pilkhuwa, and settled in the area of Chippiwara, were majority of the chapai work happened. The area was dominated by Hindu community, Rohillas engaged in chapai work and Muslim community which carried the wood carving work.

Anwar Husain ji had four sons including Sardar Husain ji, all of them were engaged in the block carving work at the time when they shifted to Pilkhwua. But slowly with the decline in demand, they shifted to different resorts. One of them shifted to Delhi to earn a livelihood, the second one does cutting work in the same mohalla,

and the third one shifted to selling of handicrafts. It was only Sardar Husain ji who actually continued the block carving tradition out of the four brothers. His eldest brother is also in a similar domain of work, but he recives the orders online, the kaarigars makes it, packs and sends the package. He has little role to play in it.

Sardar Hussain ji had six children, out of which only Arshad ji practices block carving. His elder brother have a seperate business of handicrafts. Out of his four younger brothers, one works in a bank, one as a teacher, third one is a doctor whose clinic is right below the wood workshop, and the last one also helps him with his clinic.

Arshad ji has four boys, in seventh, sixth, third and first classes respectively.

Trisection area around Babu Chaape Wala’s workshop.

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Adaptations and Innovations Anwar ji never worked with brass inlay techniques. That was purely introduced by Sardar Hussain ji. The need for which arised when the demand for printing blocks declined, the artisans had to switch to an option to sustain themselves.

Hussain ji went to Delhi, and met a few people. One of them was from Handicrafts and Handloom Exports Corporation of India.

He made a wood box out of the handcarved blocks for her. She really liked the product, and motivated them to take this ahead.

The employ also asked him to bring more ‘finishing’ to the products. The family then went to Bijnor, which is a small town 90 kms for Pilkhuwa. The place is for known for its extensive wood work and hand carved products. From there they learnt the techniques of finishing. Then the next stop was Sahranpur, which was famous for its metal and brass inlay products. Sardar Hussain ji took his kaarigars from the workshop, and helped them learn the skills of brass inlay with the help of the skilled artisans of Sahranpur. It was easier for them to train their own kaarigars, rather than bringing in artisans from Sahranpur. From there, they bought in all materials for the inlay work, brass, metal wires and tools. This learning of skill from one center to another was a chance for the intermingling of techniques of two places. After five years of training, Arshad ji proudly exclaimed, “ab ham vo kar sakte hai, jo koi nahi kar sakta”.

Sardar Hussain ji and Arshad ji in their workshop. Source - Organic Connect Facebook Page

Arshad ji explaining the wood carving design to his kaarigar, Iqbal

Continuing the Skill The time and hardwork spent learning and perfecting the skill of block carving is a commitment. Not everyone is able to make this commitment. Arshad ji understands the value that comes with taking their legacy forward, but he also knows the importance of keeping up with the world and being able to speak and understand english. He studied in a hindi medium school, and faced great difficulties later in his life. He wanted to study at Aligarh University, but could not because of it. He did not want this for any of his younger brothers, and transferred them to an english medium school. But with this, the time available to devote to the learning of their family tradition is lost. Arshad ji quotes “jo padhne me lagega, vo phir ye kaam nahi kar payega”.

He wants his kids to atleast learn ‘something’ from their legacy. Out of the current education pattern and tutions, they do not get much time to invest at the workshop. He doesnt want them to entirely miss on their studies, because of the effort and money that goes in arranging for the high school fee. He wants them to spend one hour a day at the workshop, even if it doesnt involve learning the skill, they must come and sit there.

With the decline of block print, many of the kaarigars trained by him in block carving have shifted to other ways of livelihood such as welding work, driving the mayuri e rickshaw.

Arshad ji walking throught the lanes of Pilkhuwa

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Problems In the present scenario, the block carving work is hardly left. The artisans will make blocks for printing only on order. The intricacy and details are completely lost. When asked about the status of block carvers in Pilkhuwa, Arshaad ji explained, “Bas 100 me se 5 log bache hai, koi ab block print ki shirt nahi pehnta. Aapne bhi Pepe Jeans jaise brand ki shirt pehnni hai. Bas kuch log bache jo pure bechte hai, jaise Kamala Store aur Anokhi. Aur FabIndia mix ho gaya, kyunki production itni ho gayi hai unki.”

Arshad ji has inititated to re start the block print work in Pilkhuwa.

According to him, block printing has completely vanished from the area. He is working in collaboration with his fellow friend, to initiate the practise and bring back Pilkhuwa’s block printed textiles. He started with the designing of the prinitng blocks inspired by his father’s style, and the testing the set of 3 blocks - rekh, datta and gadh.

The major problems he is facing is the procurement of good quality sixty inch wide cloth, called sacha kapda. He mentioned how despite of the fact Pilkhuwa is such a big textile market, it is very difficult to find sacha kapda, because many people sell ‘chor kapda’ for low prices. During production some defected pieces, or pieces with width less than sixty inch are procurred at very low rates, people usually sell these by deceiving the customer, because no one actually measures it.

To get large scale orders for these prints, he needs investing capital to purchase land, tables, fabric and other raw materials. The lack of money makes it difficult to take his ideas ahead.

Another problem faced by him is of filing GST returns and the understanding of tax on the handicrafts products. For him, after notebandi (demonitisation) and introduction of GST, the business has really declined. He lacks the appropriate knowledge and technology to list and file this, which creates confusion.

Block carved with copper inlay by Arshad ji

Taaleem insaan ko arsh se pharsh tak pahunchata detee hai Training enables a person to reach the floor from the ground.

Photogr collected, disp

raphs of Arshad Kafeel Ji’s living room, where he has played and stored century old blocks and designs, an integral part of his family legacy.

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Arshad Kafeel Ji’s wood workshop

Workshop and Space Arshaad Kafeel’s wood workshop is located in Chippiwara. His workshop was in a quite gali which had a very rustic feel to it. The lane had godowns filled with dozens of screen printed bedsheets, waiting to be packed and sent to markets. There were a lot of small tailoring and clothing shops, shops selling sewing machines, and shops doing machine embroidery. Just before his building, their was a masjid, with beautiful carvings on the outside.

The three storey building is shared by the brothers. On the ground floor is his brother’s clinic called, Medi Plus Clinic, and the first and second floor are used as the wood workshop of Sajawat Handicrafts. The stairs to the workshop are very high with rope railings.

The first floor doubles as the office for Arshad ji, where he interacts with the visitors. Besides his table, different samples and designs are also stacked. Arshad ji opens the workshop after the morning prayer, called Fajr ki namaaz and closes before the evening namaaz.

The workshop was compact and different storage units were filled with pieces of wood. The ceiling was very high with old style wooden beam work. From it hanged large LED bulbs directly over the work stations of the kaarigars. Other light installments were also haging from the ceiling, close enough to the ground.

All the items were heavily covered in dust and wooden filings from the cutting work. The workshop had a nice wood smell to it. Arshad ji had displayed a lot of samples of his products to show to potential clients.

All sides of this space was filled with pieces of sheesham wood, uneven and random shapes being cut into precise squares.

Illustration of the building of workshop.

Workshop, Floor 2

Drawing, Cutting Polishing & Packaging

1. Designing Patterns for Carving - Arshad ji was responsible for coming up with new designs and patterns for the printing and inlay work. He would sit on his desk in the corner of the workshop, and ideate different combinations and patterns according to the size measurement provided by his client.

First the design was drawn on a tracing sheet with pencil, then finalised on a fresh paper with ink pen.

Arshad Kafeel’s wood workshop, first floor

2. Cutting of Wood Blocks - Two kaarigars were employed for the task of cutting the wooden slabs. One of them would mark the measurements on the block using a pencil, and the second person would cut them using this cutting machine. This process was releasing a lot of wooden filings and dust into the air. Thus the kaarigars covered their nose and mouth with a cotton hankerchief.

3. Polishing of Wood Products - The unit produces different finished wooden products like boxes and dibbis of various sizes.

The smoothning and polishing of such final products were done by another kaarigar on an automated polishing machine. They would also apply a polishing oil substance, to attain a shiny finish and dark wood like colour to the products called, baar.

4. Packaging and Quality Check - The next activity being carried out in the workshop was packaging of the final products into cardboard boxes. One kaarigar was involved in quality checking of the boxes with a tlight holder at the top. He would then stack them a perfect manner on top of each other, cover with a plastic bag and tape the box to be sent to Delhi.

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Workshop, Floor 2

Block Carving & Inlay Work

Three mastercraftsman working on the block carving.

The second floor of the workshop was a large space. It was like two spaces joint together using a half wall. The first area from entering the staircase is more like a store place, made up of bricks and cement.

Dozens of wood pieces, some very large in different shapes, some very tiny lied around in no particular manner. Some were stacked on the shelves, whereas all other were randomly thrown in piles of wood blocks. All of it was deeply buried in dust and wood filings.

This floor of the workshop was dedicated to all the block carving activity. Even the brass and cooper inlay was practised here.

As one moves ahead, to the left is a half bricked wall, and beside it sat three artisans, who worked on their respective block carving pieces. The space was the terrace of another building, joint together by a wall. There was a shade above them, of a coarser material to protect from extreme scorching heat and direct sunlight. The working area had wood filings and empty paan masala packets lying all around.

All of the kaarigars working were master craftsman, who have been practising this skill all their life. Another two artisans also worked next to the bricked wall, who were working on extremely intricate box designs.

Staircase to the second floor. The staricase also has a shelfed unit where wooden pieces were kept, covered in dust from the cutting of wood.

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Making of Blocks Wood - Cutting and Treatment The wooden blocks were usually made using sheesham, aam and sagwaan wood, procurred locally in Pilkhuwa. Nowadays, only sheesham wood is used because of the lack of availability of other kinds. Sheesham wood is most preffered wood because of its strength, regular surface, closed pack grains which makes it less prone to chipping while cutting and engraving.

When a printing block is made, the angle of cutting the wood is very important. Cheyo, which is a circular piece of wood, cut horizontally, making the circular grainlines visible. This angle of cutting the wood is what makes it starkingly different from the wood used in building furniture, which is cut vertically. A printing block can not be made with on vertical grainlines. The circular direction of grainlines is utmost important for making a strong printing block.

Photograph of a cheyo

A typical cheyo will have both red and white parts. The outermost colour will be whitish, and the inner part is red coloured. The white part is kachha, and is prone to insect attacks. Therefore while preparing the wood for a block, it is removed.

The cheyo is further made smoother, using a sandpaper.

The blocks are cut using machines, and the surface is

smoother than before. In the older times, the smoothing of wood was done using randha and rubbing it on a pathar, with ret.

After cutting, the wood is seasoned. This is the process of eliminating moisture from the wood, by keeping it away from direct sunlight for few months smoother than before.

Wood Block - Sizes Traditionally, in Farrukhabad the artisans made bigger size of blocks like 18”X18”, 15”X15” , 13”X8” etc. The same style was adapted in like 18”X18”, 15”X15” , 13”X8” etc. The same style was adapted in Pilkhuwa. But today the blocks are made in a smaller of 8”X3”, 6”X6”, 6”X4” upon the requirement of design. (GI Journal 48, 2012) A reason for this may be the nature of ellaborate designs made during the older times. The objects and textiles during that time were magnificent and grand, thus the printing blocks were also bigger in size.These bigger designs were parts of bigger compositions and required several sets of blocks for completing one piece. This was an expensive affair.

But eventually, the money spending limit of the market decreased, and as the introduction of new techniques like screen printing came, bigger designs could be printed in a lower cost. The time and efficiency of the process increased and size of the ellaborate blocks reduced to simpler, less intricate designs.

Illustration of stacks of wood arranged in the workshop

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Set of Blocks Rekh, Datta & Gadh Information for this particular section is based on the understanding from Anjali Karolia’s Traditional Indian Hand crafted Textile, History, Techniques, Processes, Design, 2019.

Rekh Rekh is the outline block, which literally translates to line and dictates the pattern’s shape.

Normally, rekh is regarded as the key block that is printed first in order to provide indications for other blocks to fit in. These blocks are frequently carved in relief and have delicate lines. Because these are the most complicated blocks, their carving must be precise. They demand the most skill, focus, and consistency to carve and take the longest. Carving these blocks can easily take more than two to three days depending on the inticacy of the design.

Gadh The block used for background is called a Gadh. Gadh is occasionally viewed as the key block and is printed first. Instead of protruding from the wood, the design is engraved into it. It is the inverse of constructing rekh blocks. These blocks are used to add colour to the fabric’s background.

Sometimes gadh block is necessary, and other times it is not, depending on the design of the print.

Datta

From left to right, rekh block, two blocks of datta and then gadh. These blocks are a part of personal project of Arshaad ji.

Datta are the filler blocks, and there may be several depending on the number of colours in the pattern. These are manufactured in accordance with the variety of colours in the pattern and can easily be more than one.

In this particular set of block there are two dattas. Datta are carved in relief in the same way that rekh are, but instead of chisseling off the fine lines, a much bolder form is achieved.

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Traditional Printing Blocks & Export Blocks Two types of blocks are being produced by the artisans of Pilkhuwa, one is regular blocks used for block printing and other is export blocks that are further transported to different centers and exporters in Delhi and Chandigarh.

The export blocks are carved on 1.5-inch-thick wood. The depth of their carving is not very deep, so they can be carved in a single day.

They are mostly required for showcase or display purposes. Somtimes they are also a part Bagru Buti Block, a part of Arshad ji’s personal collection at his home.

of different utility or furniture items. For these blocks it is not mandatory to use a cheyo, any kind of piece of wood can be used.

For the traditional printing, the use of cheyo is mandatory. The width of the block ranges from 2.5 - 3 inches. These take more time, and precision to carve because while printing, the rekh and datta pattern has to match. Also, these blocks have holes done for the passing of trapped air. The handle, attached to the block as a separate pieces, may have the signature of the block carver carved on it.

Peacock motif export block, carved out by Babu Chaape wala

Metal Block on wood with holes, property of Ashrad ji

Printing and decorative block, belongs to Ashrad ji

Wood Block and Metal Block Farrukhabad’s tradition of block printing deals with extremely intricate designs, which can not be carved on wood, like textural backgrounds composing of intricate dots.

Designs with such fine lines can not be carved on a wooden block, they are made by inserting short pieces of copper strips and pins to the main wood block. For obtaining an overall texture of coloured dots, a block containing 10 to 40 needles is used.

These blocks have a very long life because of the use of metal.

of coloured dots, a block containing 10 to 40 needles is used. The making process includes making a dent in the wood and then inserting a one inch wide metal wire into the dent for minimum one centimetre.

Unlike wooden block which print thousand to fiften hundred metres of fabric before getting erroded, these metal blocks have a way longer life.

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Formats and Sizes of Printing Blocks Pilkhuwa printing tradition uses different printing elements like jaal, bel, buta and border. These are printed together in different combinations and placements to create a pattern on fabric.

Traditionally a jaal also known as trellis, is a pattern of intertwined network of veins. This is a very intricate and delicate pattern. These floral creepers cover the entire center of the printed textile. The use jaal is essentially to cover a larger area. The presence of a jaal, is usually considered the center attaraction of the textile, because of how intricate and detailed it looks.

Figure 1 - Surajmukhi jaal blocks from the personal collection of Arshaad Kafeel ji, made by his father.

Figure 2 - Two blocks joined together to form a larger peacock motif, from the personal collection of Arshaad Kafeel ji.

The main characteristic of these jaal blocks are, their very compact arrangement of motifs. When they are printed next to each other, it becomes very difficult for the viewer to identify a single repeat block, and its sense of orientation.

In the older times, the jaal block where of larger size such as 18”X18”, 15”X15”, 13”X 8” as can be seen in Fig 1. The blocks displayed on left are more than 50 years old. They are contructed of similar themes of floura and fauna, royal animals and bird. The jaals created in this particular time period had bolder and bigger motifs. So big that to create a single repeat sometimes some 15X15 blocks were used. One of these example is the Surajmukhi jaal in figure 1.

Pho

Figure 3 & 4 - 6 by 6 jaal blocks, from the personal collection of Arshaad Kafeel ji

Some of these jaal blocks, were made as a part of a bigger composition. These smaller individual blocks were carved seperately in a similar style, but printed with other elements forming a bigger composition or jaal, as in figure 2. A example of this is the Pardah printed in a tree of life pattern.

Later on, standard size of 6X6 was used widely.

These smaller blocks were even more intricate and compact, the design language was different from the traditional flora and fauna. Like in figure 3 & 4, the jaals are made up of smaller floral butis.

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After jaal, the second element is Buta. This literally translates to a small plant, with a combination of many flowers and leaves. A smaller version of this is called Buti, which is made up of a single flower and leaf, placed individually. A buti is a more simplistic and has less number elements than a buta. These butas and buti can be place individually, or as a filler to the main jaal, or between borders acting as a gabba.

Several butis are usually carved on a wood block in a horizontal brick repeat format. The same happens for smaller butas. The size of a small buti can be even smaller than one or two centimetre, these are then carved on a bigger block of sizes, 6X6 to 6X3 depending on the end used of it in printing.The size of a buta starts from one and a half inches. Butas of three inches of height are carved together on a wood block similar to buti. The bigger and elaborate butas may range upto 6X6 size or even more.

The designs of them can be inspired from paisley motif or everyday mundane objects like flower bouquets or street lamps. These can be used in four corner of the textiles along with the border. Sometimes, they may appear on the border or adjacent to the border frame.

This design language also has a unique quarter circle kind of block. These blocks are meant to be printed four times to reveal a complete circular pattern. They are printed next to each other by rotating the same block by 90 degrees everytime its being printed.

They were used in centre of the textile piece. It’s radius starts from 6 inches and can go on increasing according to the design.

Quarter block, as a part of personal collection of Arshad Kafeel Ji

Block displaying different butas put together, as a part of personal collection of Arshad Kafeel Ji

Border is an important part of the print format. It creates distinction between other elements, and encloses them. The border runs parallel to the edge of the fabric. The border blocks are carved in two sizes which are 6X4 and 6X3. but a less wider border block of size 6X2 can also be seen.

Border designs of various types can be found in Pilkhuwa. These borders can range from a jaal-like structure with several veins intertwined to a single bel running the length of the border. In some of the printed textiles, there are borders with more rigid and geometric forms.

Each border is divided into two parts, the main body with various elements and the border outline. This outline is mostly of a different colour from the inside elements of the border.

The border’s outline accounts for less than half of the total length of the border.

Sometimes a single bel can also a border. Bel refers to the weaving of shrubs in linear creeper patterns. These are arranged in horizontal, diagonal, vertical or wavy pattern. The use of bel can vary depending on the design requirements. Its size is exactly similar to that of a usual border. Not only that, these bels are also printed in width of 6X6 like a border, when a textile piece do not have a jaal these bel border can be as detailed and graceful as jaal. An example of this can be seen in the Mezposh.

Border block as a part of personal collection of Arshad Kafeel Ji

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Block Carver’s Tools

1. Chisels ( Kalam ) Chisels, locally known as kalam is a set of thirty or less chisels of varying sizes and widths.

These are the primary tool of a block carvers and are locally makde by the lohar. These can be broadly categorised into two types based on the shape of the tip - nakhuni and chaukaur. A nakhuni has a rounded tip, much like the shape of the finger nail. It is used in all curvy and flowy designs. A chaukaur shapes kalam has a straight tip and is use to carve out more geometric forms. A larger sized chisel is used to remove larger areas and out lining, while thin and pointed chisels are used to remove smaller, finer areas.

Kalam ka dabba, wooden square box used to store the tools of the carving.

2. Hammer ( Thapi ) Imli ki Lakdi - Thapi was used to pound the chisel into the wooden block. This is selected since it is extremely light weight, which is important because they will be using it all day. It’s also quite sturdy and doesn’t break easily.

3. Stone Slab ( Silli ) Silli is a stone slab kept near the craftsmen to sharpen the edges of their kalams when they get dull. This is locally called as dhaar lagana.

4. Wooden Stool A low height, three legged wooden table used by the artisan as a base for carving.

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1.

Flattening of Surface of Wood using Sand Paper

2.

Whitening the Block by multani mitti/chalk lep

3.

4.

Drawing design on the block using tracing paper

Chiseling the outline of the design

Process of Block Carving The process of block carving starts with the purchasing of logs of wood. Then the artisans smoothens it out using a sandpaper. The time of sanding depends on how smooth the wood surface is, the smoother it is, the less time it takes for sanding and vice versa.

The artisans uses a ruler to check the levelling of the surface.

The next stage is to make sure the design drawn on the surface is properly visible. For this a solution of

of water and glue is made in an approximate proportion. This is applied over the surface of the wood using their hand, and on top of it a powdered substance like multani mitti or chalk is applied, Fig 2. This gives a white base and helps the design to be clearly visible.

After this the artisan may trace the design onto the surface using a carbon paper. The designs drawn by them depend on the purpose of the block. If the block is to be used for export purposes, the design drawn is provided by the exporter himself. In other cases, the

5.

Detailing and carving the block

7.

6.

Drilling the holes in block through screw

Shaping the block by removing exterior wood

8.

Attaching the handle

Fig L From left to right, Figure 1 - Artisan drawing the design for datta, the filler block for a screen printed bedhseet using compass and tracing paper.

Fig K

Figure 2 - White chalk powder used for whitening of the block.

Figure 3 - This design was directly traced on the block after whitening the surface. The excess wood on the side of this block was starting to be removed.

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artisan himself draws the design using compass and rulers. But the whitening of the block may or may not be done now. As designs printed on a white sheet are directly glued to the surface of the wood.

Now the chisel process starts using the ‘kalam’. The artisan approaches the outlines of the designs using a broader chisel. When the chisel is being hammerred by the imli ki thapi, artisan, slightly pushes the chisel in like a lever, for the wood fillings to come out, creating a relief surface. Carving of a usual 5 by 5 block takes 4-5 hours for a skilled artisan to complete. Time taken also depends on the intricacy of the design.

Carving out a set of 3 blocks of size 10 by 10 - Rekh, Dutta and Gadh takes about 2-3 days.

After carving the design, the exccess wood around the block is shaped, resutling in a form which is tapering towards the top, figure 2. This is done using big chisels which looks like an mini axe. After shaping the printing block, the next essential step is to drill holes in the block, which allows passage of air while printing.

Without these holes, air will be trapped inside the design, stopping the smooth entry of dye and it might splatter. In some cases, where the block is very detailed cotton is stuffed in the holes so that the excess dye is absorbed by the cotton balls, and a clean print is obtained. But this practice has declined because the intricacy of blocks has reduced.

Next step is the attaching of a handle to the printing block. The handle is seperately carved beforehand, and then attached using a hammer and screw. In the older times, to mark their identity on the block, the artisans used to carve their signature or trademark on the block.

From bottom left to right, Figure 1 - Holes done in a rekh block.

Figure 2 - The printed design is stuck on the wooden block for carving. The artisan here started carving the block by using a big chisel, outlining the design and then removing the bigger sections.

Figure 3 - Handle attached to the block, wider at the top and narrow from the bootm.

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The artisans mostly sit in a squat position, either on a small low height stool, or on a piece of cloth. The tables they work on are of a low height, between fifteen to twenty inches. The low height may be because the top of the table is constantly hammered, a low height would minimize the vibrations, keeping it sturdy. The table top is as high as seven to eight inches. In cases where the table top is not high enough, the artisans keeps stacks of wood to make it high enough. The perfect eye hand coordination is very essential in getting correct designs.

Due to long hours of work, older artisans experince back pain and weak eye sight, and many of them wear spectacles while working.

Photographs of artisans working on their wooden blocks.

Ergonomics Creation of a roshandaan, by removing alternate bricks for ventilation. This particular area of the workshop has no window, and lots of dust from the wood cutting is released. These openings help in ventilation.

Along with this, as the ceilings are very high, bulbs hang close to the workspace of the artisan, directly over their heads.

Artisans also cover their head and mouth with a piece of cloth to prevent the dust from entering. All of the work done by these artisans is in a sitting position, close to ground. For this purpose the arrangement of tools and supplies is such that it is easily accessible in that position. Little pieces of wood have been attached to the wall for a small stand .

An interesting modification was seen as the use of a standard fan as an exhaust near the wood cutting machine. A lot of dust and wood fillings were released into the air, thus the fan was kept in the opposite direction to act as an exhaust fan.

Photos from Arshaad Kafeels workshop

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Printed gabba motif of the lihaaf part of the personal collection of Ashrad Kafeel ji

Motif Composition of Block Printed Textiles This section discusses the use of printing blocks, in terms of its sizes and placements by analysizing traditional textile pieces, block printed during the older times. All of the following samples have been preserved and collected by Arshad Kafeel ji over the years. These textiles are test samples, which the family got printed to test the hand carved blocks. These carved blocks were mostly bought by people or exported to places. Before, giving them away, the artisan would print a piece of textile using them, to test the block, and also as a memory of the blocks carved.

In the Pilkhuwa block printing tradition, instead of the basic four elements of jaal, buta, buti, border a fifth element was seen in many textile pieces. This is called as gabba. It basically means a wider border, mostly six inches which is placed in between two borders. To create this contrast, the motifs and colours of a gabba may be very similar to that of the jaal in the center.

Drawings of the gabba motif, part of the personal collection of Arshad Kafeel ji

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Lihaf Quilt Top

Lihaf is an Urdu word, which literally translates as quilt.

In the making of a quilt aka razai this acted as the top layer, with a layer of cotton stuffed between the shell fabric made of a beautiful print (the top) and a cotton fabric (for bottom).

A typical Lihaf format will include a three inch border, enclosing another wider six inch border, with two three inch borders towards the inside. Then would be a jaal pattern overall filled inside. For this specific Lihaaf, twenty different blocks and six dyes were used.

2.1 metre

1.3 metre

Outer Border 3 inches

Gabba 6 inches

Middle Border 3 inches

Inner Border 3 inches Lihaaf, a part of personal collection of Arshad Kafeel ji

Jaal repeat

A typical colour palatte of the Lihaaf or razai cover from the region in and around Pilakhuwa

Outer Border

Inner Border Black rekh is used for outline.

Gadh block is printed using brown colour, and for datta two colours - deep red and yellow have been used.

Jaal This textile has a very intricate jaal placed in the center, inspired by flora. An interesting texture is introduced in the background using gadh black of teal colour. Rekh is used for outline. For datta, a total of five blocks and five colours are used pink, red, yellow, deep green and teal.

For this, the jaal is bound by the a border frame. The entire border is inspired by foral patterns. Black rekh is used for outline.

Gadh block is printed using brown colour and datta block has been done in three colours being dark brown , yellow and red.

Gabba This particular design of gabba block doesnt use a gadh block. There is a black rekh block outline. And for datta, similar to the jaal, total five blocks and five colours are used, being pink, red, yellow, deep grean and teal.

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Pardah Wall Curtain

Pardah is a traditionally made curtain, which was used as a backdrop for walls, or partition between rooms or simply for its vivid landscape patterns.

The most common design used in a Pardah is that of Tree of life, with foliage, flowers, birds, and animals around a central bigger tree with dancing branches. These prints were intricately composed of several individual blocks printed to form a pattern which looked like a single piece of art.

Characteristic feature of the pardah lies in this tree of life pattern enclosed by a thick border.

2.6 metre

1.8 metre

Background

Hand painted/blank

Border

12 inches Pardah, a part of personal collection of Arshad Kafeel ji

Central Tree

varying sizes & blocks

Major colours used for the tree of life print in a Pardah, including white colour of the base fabric.

Main Border The block for the border is of 12 by 12 inches. Rekh outline is done in black. Brown shade has been used for the gadh block, and multiple colours have been used for datta, like red, pink, green, yellow and blue.

Inner Print Withing the main border lies the Tree of Life print. The base red colour, seems to be handpainted because of the rough edges and uneven application of colour. At several places, one may see a purple hue. This can be a result of the colour interaction between red and blue dye, printed over the other for details.

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Chaddar Bedsheet

Chaddar literally means a bedsheet. The sample is for a single bed. Because these pieces were one of a kind, the artisans really experimented with the block placements and colours. They followed no rigid format, but the number of borders were somewhere dependent on the size of the cloth. For example, the basic format is to place a gabba or boota between two lines of border towards the end. But in here, one also sees another border with a gadh background block, creating contrast. In the center because the jaal is in a sqaure shape, this leaves more space to be filled by the artisan, which has been done using different kinds of borders and compositions.

2.1 metre

1.5 metre

Outer Border 4 inches

Small Boota Border 6 inches

Contrasting Border 3 inches

Inner Border 3 inches Chaddar, a part of personal collection of Arshad Kafeel ji

Jaal repeat

Monochromatic colour palette of the chaddar. Black from the rekh blocks, and base white fabric also complement the design.

Jaal

Inner Border These butis are of two inch size. The have used datta block of beige and light pink colour.

The entire block for repeat will of size six by eight.

For this jaal, very small butis have been used. They were around half inch, made in colours of red and pink. These buties are tightly packed together to create the effect of a jaal, unlike the flowy floral patterns.

A block size of six by six inches has been used for the repeat.

Contrasting Border Jaal For this border, a shade of red has been used as gadh, which differentiates it from the other borders. Rekh is used for outline. For datta, light pink and beige coloursw.This border is specifically put between two borders of a low contrast, where it helps differentiate all the three lines properly.

Buti Border The colour of this border is very similar to that of jaal. The butis are placed in a brick repeat pattern to create a border like arrangement.

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Chaddar Bedsheet

This chaddar also follows a monochromatic scheme like the previous sample, but with an addition of a deep red colour. The total number of blocks required to print this bedsheet are 16, and the number of dyes used is 4. A standard bedhseet format includes a central square/rectangle jaal, surrounded by two or three lines of border, either made of florals or geometric patterns or simply filled with butis.Towards the side, are lines of consecutive borders, which are visually different from each other. In both of the bedsheets, no particular use of gabba motif was seen.

2.1 metre

1.5 metre

Outer Border 4 inches

Inner Border 4 inches

Buta

3 inches Chaddar, a part of personal collection of Arshad Kafeel ji

Jaal

Contrasting colours for datta block used in the printing of the chadar.

Buta

Jaal

The monochromic buta is used between two borders and has a very natural, rhythmic form. Its size is 3*1.5 inch. There is no use of gadh block. Rek is used, and when seen carefully one can notice the use of two datta blocks for the dark blue colour, with with filled bud and one without.

The centre square comprises of a 7*7 intricate floral jaal.

There has been no use of gad block. Rekh Block is used for black outline, of smaller delicate branches and parts of the flower. For the Datta block, a total of three colours are used - light and dark shades of blue for flowers and branches.

Brick red and dark blue for leaves.

Inner Border This border is more geometric than the flowy nature of the adjacent border. There is the use of an interesting dotted texture for the background, mostly done by the use of rekh block. Because the dots are really fine, metal has been used instead of wood for the dots.

Outer Border This border and the jaal have a similar motif language which is very close to western chintzs. The sides of the border have a bel which runs along the border providing a rigid line. There is no use of gad block in this border.

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Palang Posh Bed Cover

These are two examples of a bed cover. Both the samples have a very similar colour palette and motif combination. Two kinds of borders, wide and thin have been used in reverse orders, from figure 1 to figure 2. The space created in the middle is filled using bigger singular butas, of size between 6 by 6 inches.

Chaddar, a part of personal collection of Arshad Kafeel ji

Major colours used in the bistar posh, green yellow, shades of blue, red and pink

Border Instead of composing a typical jaal in the center, the border itself has a jaal like floral pattern filled inside. This is a contrast to the white negative space of the base fabric.

Corner Motif

Inner Border

A big sized buta of six by six inches has been used for the border. The method of placing it on the corner with the rest of the border, is to first print the corner buta. Then they move ahead by keeping a fabric or cloth on top of it.

This prevents the ink printing on top of the buta.

For the center circle, a one fourth block has been used.

This was printed four times to achieve a full circle pattern. The other elements on top of it have been placed seperately.

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Mez Posh Table Cover

A tablecloth is a piece of cloth that is used to cover a table. Some are primarily decorative coverings, while others may help protect the table from scratches and stains. Tablecloths are intended to be spread on a table prior to the placement of tableware and food.

This shares a similar design language to that of the bed cover. The fabric of this particular textile was not entirely cotton. The outermost border is of 6 inches. It is a combination of jaal in a bel style. The center is printed using the quarter circle block.

Mez Posh from personal collection of Arshad Kafeel ji

Janamaz Islamic Rug

Janamaz is a Persian term that means “the rug”. In Islam, however, Janamaz has a distinct connotation. It is referred to a particular type of rug that is used for daily prayer as well as the rug that covered the mosque’s flooring. This particular piece is atleast 80 years old.

A typical Janamaz will have a mosque structure printed on it. The colours may very.

Back of the Janamaz, indicating how old and torn the piece is

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Motif Language

Fig 3 Printed bedsheet, Photo Source Arshad Kafeel

Fig 1 Farrukhabad Paisley, Photo Source - Parampara, Ministry of Culture

Pilkhuwa’s block and print traditions draw greatly from the town of Farrukhabad. This is because of the constant interaction between the carving and printing community at both places. Farrukhabadi textiles motif vocabulary included beautiful paisley and tree of life designs. Different interpretations of the paisley motif can be seen in the figure 1, 2 and 3. Out of these, one and two are from Farrukhabad, and three is printed in Pilkhuwa. One can notice that through these images, how all of these textiles follow a very similar rendering style. The treatment given to the boundaries of paisley motifs of small tiny lines, creating a texture is common to all. Not only the treatment, but the placement, colours and visual feel of these textiles is very alike.

Fig 2 Stole from Farrukhabad, Photo Source - Collection of Shruti Tomar

Farrukhabad Card Print, Photo Source - Anokhi Museum Website

Pilkhuwa Card Print, Photo Source - Arshaad Kafeel

The above design cards show the paisley style of motifs. The left one is from Farrukhabad and the right one is from Pilkhuwa. These hand drawn designs show the great visual similarities between the two printing traditions.

Textiles of Farrukhabad were also influenced by existing patterns such as Mughal Butta, the Soorajmukhi Jaal, the Tree of Life, various flora and fauna, notably royal animals such as elephants, lions, and peacocks. These were adopted from textile produced for mughal’s luxury and calming lifestyle, providing a lush and extravagant look to their complete collection. They were always known for using greenery, birds, and animals to embellish their textiles and decorative art surfaces. By the stylised depiction of the natural world in mughal textiles, a very specific identity and style was established. With the fusion of their regional styles, Mughal designs

Buta printed in Mughal Style, Photo Source - Arshaad ji

feature elements of Persian art. Floral and fauna motifs, both naturalistic and stylized, were often utilised as printing arabesque. Inspired by Mughal and Persian style, these prints were monochrome and colourful, flowery and geometric, rotating and reflective. These designs are rhythmic, flowing, and stylised while retaining the inspiration’s organic features. The butis were printed in solid colours on brilliantly coloured backgrounds.

When asked Arshaad ji, about the features of mughal prints, he said “mughal design me alag hi chaal hoti hai” which ment that the design had a natural and graceful flow.

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Plant motifs, patterns, and animals were used to embellish textile surfaces. All exist in many shapes, ranging from a single motif to extensive patterns, and feature shrubbery foliage in realistic and extremely simplified depictions of nature.

The patterns developed a range of grids, reflections, symmetry, individual and compositional designs in various approaches. For example, the Tree of Life is one such motif which has been extensively used in the same style. The textile piece on the left, fig 2 is a close up picture of the treatment and style of the tree of life pattern. Even in Pilkhuwa, this particular format was used for the making of Pardah. It used bolder and bigger motifs, the details were very natural.

Fig 1 and 2, Persian, Indian hand block printed textile from 19th century

Chintz Palampore textile panel made in Coromandal coast, northern region of India for the European Market, Photo Source - Website of Rom collections

Printed Pardah, Photo Source - Arshad Kafeel;s personal collection

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India was a major exporter of block printed and dyed textiles to international markets of Europe and other countries. Europeans were impressed by the bright colours of Indian cottons and admired the precision of their design.

The Indian market was thriving because of the trade with these countries. Europe was so taken with the Indian prints and colours that designs were brought from

Hanging of painted and dyed cotton made in western India for the British market, late 17th or early 18th century. Photo Source - Victoria and Albert Museum, The Inside

Chintz of Europe, influenced by India in 1800s Photo Source - Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, The inside

Persian, hand block printed textile from 19th century Photo Source - Rug Rabit Website

Part of a textile, produced by indian artisans for European Market, Photo Source - Website of Rom collections

Border from Pilkhuwa, Photo Source - Arshad Kafeel ji

Europe, produced in India, and then sold back in Europe as “authentic” textiles. (Giorgo Riello, 2010) This interchange of design language was prevalent in the past, which led in the adaptation of European rendering style in the design language of Pilkhuwa. Not only that the designs reproduced were often of foreign inspiration, as would no doubt be indicated by the occurrence in certain cases of fabric of the Persian ‘tree of life’ pattern, of the English sprigged motives, and the French ribboned Swags. But the designs themselves and their general treatment never lost their unmistakable Indian flavour.

To define the language of Pilkhuwa printing tradition, it wont be wrong to say that it incorporated motifs from Persian and Mughal styles of printing. There floral styles and visual language really influenced the designs in areas of Pilkhuwa and Farrukhabad. In the same time period, the extensive trade with western world led to the amalgamation of the existing techniques, with newer styles of rendering and treatment.

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Motif Library of Babu Chape Wala

Designs from the folders of Babu Chappe wala

Different blocks carved out by Babu and Sabir Chaape wala.

The kind of work Babu Chaape Wala and his son get is very diverse.

They engage with all kinds of work coming their way which may include making of export blocks, screen printed bedsheet dutta blocks or decorative blocks. But due to the lack of work and a set market, their designs and motif vocabulary has been constantly evolving.

They do not have a specific style of their own. They take up designs and motifs, either from the client, or from internet and archival prints. Their current motif vocabulary ranges from traditional

Pilkhuwa motifs of tree of life to adapted designs from different cultures like sanganeri, lehriya and bagru buti. They also do a lot of mandala motifs. The motifs are too contemporary and diverse to be classified under one particular style.

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Images of different designs drawn by Ashrad ji

Motif Library of Ashrad Kafeel ji Arshad Kafeel’s motif language mainly revolves around paisley motifs, tree of life and other floral designs. He is deeply inspired by a vast collection of intricate artworks from his father and grandfather’s legacy who migrated from Farrukhabad.

Based on that he has developed his own distinct style. He has a very huge collection of the designs at his home ranging from prints of smaller booti to very intricate jaals .His design language is very flowy and sophisticated, similar to Persian and Mughal motifs. He loves creating new designs and setting prints to be carved on wood. Because of regular collaborations with designers and working on creative projects , he get opportunities to practice his style resulting int the developing of a very concrete design language.

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Innovation Brass Inlay

Inlay work, decorative piece by Arshad ji

The technique of Brass Inlay essentially means carving dents in the wood, and filling them with cooper, brass, silver or aluminium wires.

This technique is locally known as Tarqashi.

These wire can be thin or very thick. The adaptation of a block carver learning the skills of wood inlay turned out to be an interesting combination. For example, wood workers in Sahranpur have a distinct style of doing inlay. They use very thick and wide wires in their designs. The carving of the wood is also not very intricate.

But the process of block carving requires precision and technique to make extremely intricate blocks. So when they learned the skills of inlay, they could lay those wires in the delicate carvings of a printing block. As Arshad ji quoted, “jo ham kar sakte hai, vo nahi kar sakte. Lekin jo vo kar sakte hai, vo kar sakte hai, vo ham bhi kar sakte hai”. This means that the kind of work artisans from Sahranpur can do, Arshad ji and his artisans can also do. But they can not replicate the fine extensive skills of a block carver, because they have never done it.

Border and Large style of dots used in Sahranpur inlay tradition Photo Source, Arshad Kafeel;s frame

Tools Cooper, Aluminium, Steel Wire The wire for the inlay work is sourced from Delhi at the price of 450 per kg. Cooper wire is used for gold colour, and Aluminium wire for silver colour. Bundles of wire are then given to a sunhar, to flatten it using a machine.

Imli ki Thapi Same as block carving, this rectangle piece of wood is used to hammer the wire into the dents. Imli ki ladki is used because it is very light weight yet strong.

Hammer, Nose Plier, Chisels Locally known as, Hathodi, Chimti and Kalam. Kalam is used for creating dents in the block. Nose Plier is used to hold the circular pieces of wire, which are very tiny. The plier acts as a tweezer to hold it. The hammer is used for pressing the wire into the dents.

1.

Developing the design to be carved

2.

Flattening of Surface of Wood using Sand Paper

4.

3.

Whitening the Block by multani mitti/chalk lep

Drawing design on the block using tracing paper

Process of Wood Inlay As contrary to block carving, the carving area is reversed. Which means, while carving a block, the artisans carves the zameen. But in case of inlay, the outline of the design is carved, creating dents for wire to go.

The foremost step is developing the design. This process requires rounds of ideation and sketching. After the design in finalised, it is traced on a final sheet of paper using ink. Then, similar to block carving, the wood is first sanded to smoothen the surface. After preparing the wood, the design and final product determine the next phase. Sometimes the wood is cut to its final shape before chisseling. Other times, the edges are trimmed after the design has been chisseled. The product is either finished before doing inlay or inlay is done on different pieces of it, before assembling the product.

After this the pattern is traced on wood using carbon paper, similar to block building, or simply put on the piece of wood using glue. Once the planning and pattern making on the wood is finished, the artisan begins engraving the design with a kalam and hammer. The engraving is roughly three mm deep, which is less than the width of the prepared wire, allowing it to fit snugly.

Design of a flower demonstrated by Arshaad ji with cooper wire.

6.

5.

Chiseling the outline of the design

Detailing and carving the block

7.

Filling of wire in the carved dents

8.

Polishing and final sanding of the block

With one hand, the wire is gripped and pulled around the pattern’s curvature, while the other hand is constantly hitting it using thapi. Kalam is used to help turn the wire at the curves or cut it at steeply inclined folds.

For creating the dots in the inlay design, the spherical wire is chopped into little pieces around 4mm in height. They are cut beforehand and stored in a newspaper ki pudiya. These little pieces of wire are held in place by nose pliers and then hammered into the dent.

After completing the design, it is finished and polished using the sanding machine and baar, which is a shiny polish.

Step 1 - Drawing the design

Step 2 - Making dents in the design using kalam

Step 3 - Hammering the wire into the dents

Step 4 - Cutting of wire pieces beforehand

Step 5 - Hammering the cut wire piece

Step 6- Sanding and Polishing

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Product Diversification The decline of demand for printing blocks, created conditions for these artisans to adapt, learn and innovate something new.

The craft that was earlier limited to the making of blocks to print fabrics, is now starting to be a part of modern households, matching the aesthetics and life of today.

From making of large elaborate boxes, artisans are using the same techniques of block carving, to create small utility products. This shift has helped them sustain themselves and keep the craft alive. Then these products are further sold in the market as handicrafts

Arshad ji also adopted this approach and started making hand crafted products for the modern market. His current product range consists of wooden trays, wall hangings, lamps, coasters, photo frames, bangle box, book holder, jewellery box, t light holders and trays. Some of these are also painted in colours of red, blue and green with a very antique wood finish. He keeps dozens of such samples in hand, ready for clients to purchase. Due to covid, a lot of their stock is just sitting inside boxes and the supply has reduced drastically.

T light Holder, Photo sourced from the facebook page of Organic Connect

Product Photos of Trays, sourced from the facebook page of Organic Connect

The prices of these objects range from a hundred rupees for a ring box to seven hundred fifty rupees for a jewellery box measuring 7X5 inches. The elaborate block with inlay block of around 8 inches costs around three thousand rupees in the market, depending on the design’s complexity. The wooden trays carved in the datta style cost one thousand one hundred rupees. According to Arshad Ji, people do not understand the value and effort that goes behind a handcrafted item. This is why they have stopped maintaining a stock now, they only take orders from clients.

Designer Artisan Collaboration Arshad ji’s first designer collaboration was fifteen years ago, with S Bala Subramanian and Meghna Ajit. Arshad ji recalls of sharing a valuable bond with both designers. In their collaboration, Arshad ji was the incharge of developing designs for carving, whereas the designers would design the products for the carvings. Through this collaboration Arshad ji learned about developing aspects of developing a product, the finishing and technical understanding.

Before this, he had never worked on the tree of life designs, but it was after Meghna ji’s motivation, that he made

since then there has been no looking back. This laid the foundation of him developing his own style, inspired by his father’s and grandfather’s legacy.

Arshad ji enjoys working with designers and architects, soley because of the respect and creative freedom the process offers. He says “kaarigar kam se kam kadar toh karta hai kaarigar ko”. He understands that designers values the effort and hardwork that goes behind creating a handmade product, unlike a business minded person. Since then, he has worked with various independent designers on different projects ranging from building decorative pieces to utitlity products. One brand he has worked is Organic Connect that works with crafts and traditional hand skills of the our country.

Wood carved box, Photo Source Organic connect favebook page

Ashrad ji with other designers, ideating and discussing.

Photo Source - Organic connect favebook page

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T light Holder made by Ashrad ji, Photo sourced from the facebook page of Organic Connect

“At his death bed, Sardar Husain Ji comforted Ashrad ji, who was distressed about the cupboards filled with wood crafted products, which never made it to the market. He said, “don’t you worry my son, a day will come when all of this will turn into gold” - as narrated by Ashrad Kafeel ji

Current Market Scenario Manufactures in Pilkhuwa have mechanised mostly all the processes involved in the production of textiles. This has led to large scale productions of textiles, like single bedsheets, double bedsheets, different kinds of towels, tripals, cushion covers and sofa covers. These products are further transported to sell in nearby towns of Dasna, Faridnagar, Bijnor, Hapur and big markets of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Merutt.

These objects, produced in hundreds and thousands, are exact replicas of each other, mundane and life less.

The screen printed bedsheets lack orginality and are very ordinary.

Bullock cart, with bundles of white tripal being transported to the town, from the factories.

The following table has been borrowed from the paper, Narrow Lanes to Big Markets: An Overview of Traditional Printed Handloom Industry of Pilkhuwa (U.P.) 2020 by Hema Upadhayay and Alka Goel. It discusses in detail about the products produced in Pilkhuwa, their sizes and prices.

Stacks of screen printed bedsheets in godowns, waiting to be packed and sent to the market.

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Reflection Pilkhuwa has always been a place of varied textile practices from weaving to dyeing to printing. Since the older time their has been a constant exchange of techniques. information and skills from regions in and around Pilkhuwa. This is the reason for the diversity of activities that are practiced here. The prevalent network that was established between block carvers and block printers was such that they would directly interact with each other, and orders were placed for the block carvers through the printers. With the competition from powerloom cloth, and efficiency of screen printing of being able to print thousands of metres in a day, low cost of labour, fast and reliable. This has affected this network between the carvers and

Railway phatak, Pilkhuwa

printers negatively. The block printers slowly, moved out fo picture and the block carvers chain of demand was broken. Their motivation was affected, they started switching to options to sustain themselves and earn a livelihood.

Now what is left is only a handful of artisans practicing the craft.

If Arshad ji would not have been there, the student reasearchers would not be able to know anything about the craft tradition. In this scenario, he acts the prime point of contact for keeping the craft alive. The craft of block carving, took a new direction for bringing in wood inlay to Pilkhuwa, as means to sustain.

Block Carving in Pilkhuwa

1. Newer Technology 2. Lack of Incentives 3. Increasing demand 4. Mass Production 5. Less Resources and Knowledge

Decline

Talking of which, the craft has deeply evolved over the time. From a systematic point of view, Pilkhuwa’s block carving craft employs different stakeholders. First is the artisan, who practices the skill, innovates and ideates, second is the client, which were the block printers, and now also include, bigger brands and export houses and third is the designers which have come into play in the recent times. The interdependency of these is of utmost importance is sustaining and continuing the craft.

The artisans motivation to practise the craft is directly related with the incentives that comes with it. Bigger brands focus on production and maximizing benefits, this works against the artisan, because they do not have resources to produce in large quantities. In this case, some artisans are not encouraged neither interested in practicing their skill because of low monetary benefits. Arshad ji is an exception in this system, because he is motivated and determined to keep the art alive. He is sole fire keeping the culture and tradition of block carving alive in Pilkhuwa. He is practising the craft in its true form, and strives to take it forward in whatever way possible. But the future of it depends on the next generation of his family, his children, and their interest and williingness to take it forward. But this system is not sufficient. The craft and its spread can be larger, provided artisans feel supported and encouraged.

Continuation

1. Love and regard for the the craft and history 2. Designer collaborations 3. Market for Handicrafts

On a bigger level, the governement is taking initiatives, organisations like Dastkaar Samiti, and various other stores that still sell authentic tradition textiles play an major role in bringing business for these artisans. But it is important to discuss the role a designer can play in this situation. In design schools, designers are sensitized and educated about crafts. They learn to value the craft and its maker.

But this is not sufficient. On coversations with Arshad ji, he mentioned about how students researchers come there for the purpose of an assignment, when the assignment is over they will not think about it, they get forward with their lives and there is nothing they can do about it. But in relevance to this system in Pilkhuwa, there is a need for the designer to do more than just design. There is an oppurtunity to understand why the crafts exists in the first place, why has it declined, and despite everything what are factors that have encouraged the artisan to continue it, even if it is a single man.

The main challenge is to change the perception of people towards the crafts. The crafts and the accesbility to them is considered to be an exclusive thing. This is the reason most people do not engage with them. But crafts can also be something that make it to one’s everyday use and utility, they are not just a thing for decoration.

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Glossary Baar - Polish for brass

Dibbi - Small box

Bel - Literally translates to creeper patterns, also an element of print design.

Fajr ki namaz - Prayers performed during dawn by muslims

Buta - literally translates to a small plant, but also a motif with a combination of many flowers and leaves Buti - Literally translates to flower is also the smallest form of motif made up of a single flower and leafs

Gabba - A wider border, mostly six inches which is placed in between two borders Gadh - Background printing block Haath ki khaddi - Literally translates to handloom

Chappai -The process of printing

Imli ki thapi - A log of tamarind wood used for hammering.

Chaukour -Literally translates to square , but also mean flat chisels

Jaal - Also known as trellis, is a pattern of intertwined network of veins.

Chaddar - Bedsheet Cheyo - Circular piece of wood, cut horizontally from the tree trunck

Janamaz - A small rug used by Muslims to perform prayers on.

Kaarigar - Artisan

Chikna - smooth

Kaatna - Process of cutting

Chippa - Community of people engaged in work of printing or chappai

Kaccha - Literally translates to raw

Chor kapda - Fabric of smaller yardage sold under name of 60 inches yardage fabric.

Datta - Filler block in printing Dhaar - Literally translates to sharpness

Kalam - Also means pen ,but here it means chisels of varying sizes and widths.

Kalam ka dabba - Wooden box to put the set of thirty kalams.

Khaddi ka kapda - Hand woven fabric

Khes - A coarse cotton blanket cloth.

Kora - Literally translates to blank, or plain Kori - Community of people which resided in Pilkhuwa and produced large quantities of hand woven cotton fabrics.

Lihaf - Urdu work quilt top Lohar - Blacksmith Masjid - Mosque Mezposh -A tablecloth is a piece of cloth that is used to cover a table Mohalla - Neighborhood Nakhuni - Half rounded chisels, in the shape of a finger nail Notebandi - Demonization Nukkad -Street Corner Painth - Local word for market Pathar - Stone

Randha - A tool that has a flat bottom with a sharp blade in it, used for shaping wood.

Rekh - Outline block used for printing Ret- sand Roshandaan - A feature of dwelling structures which combined skylight and ventilating window.

Sachha kapda - 60 inches yardage fabric Sarkande - A tall plants that grow in shallow water or wet ground.

Silli - A slab of stone Takashi - urdu word for the technique of inlaying very fine wire work of brass copper or silver within carved wood.

Tanki - Water tanker Thela - A handcart used majorly by fruits and vegetables sellers Tirpal - Canvas fabric Zameen ki chillai - Carving out the base of the wood , leaving a relief.

Phatak - Gatepost, specially in the railway crossing Pilagnposh - A sort of bed cover

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References 1. Anjali Karolia(2019)Traditional Indian Handcrafted Textiles: History, Techniques, processes , design. new delhi: pp.125-126 2. Rashmi Sacher(2018) “The Ecosystem of Nagina Woodcarvers” Google art and culture. Retrieved on march 11 , 2022 from (https:// artsandculture.google.com/story/the-ecosystem-of-nagina-woodcarvers-dastkari-haat-samiti/EAVha-UJIWJ0KQ?hl=en ) 3. (2019) “GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS JOURNAL NO. 48” ipindia. Retrieved on march 6 , 2022 from (http://www.ipindia.gov.in/ writereaddata/Portal/Images/pdf/journal_48.pdf) 4. Hema Upadhayay , Alka Goel Published (14 February 2020) “Narrow Lanes to Big Markets: An Overview of Traditional Printed Handloom Industry of Pilkhuwa”. academia. Retrieved on march 5 , 2022 from (https://www.academia.edu/41992617/Narrow_Lanes_to_Big_ Markets_An_Overview_of_Traditional_Printed_Handloom_Industry_of_Pilkhuwa_U_P_)

Student Researches with Arshad Kafeel ji and his two sons, in his living room

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Bibliography 1. Karolia, Anjali.(2019)Traditional Indian Handcrafted Textiles: History, Techniques, processes , design. new delhi: Niyori Books pp.124-137 2. Sharma, Pradeep Kumar (1986) “Farrukhabad ka vastra chhapai udhog mukhyta niryat ke paripekshya me” shodhganga. Retrieved on march 6, 2022 from ( http://hdl.handle.net/10603/259274) 3. Giorgio Riello (25 February 2010) “Asian knowledge and the development of calico printing in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries”. cambridge. Retrieved on march 6, 2022 from ( https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-global-history/ article/abs/asian-knowledge-and-the-development-of-calico-printing-in-europe-in-the-seventeenth-and-eighteenth-centuries/B9CBBF0646C7457269DE56AB500F45B0) 4. Giorgio Riello “The Rise of Calico Printing in Europe and the Influence of Asia in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries“. lse.

Retrieved on march 6, 2022 from (https://www.lse.ac.uk/Economic-History/Assets/Documents/Research/GEHN/GEHNConferences/ conf8/PUNERiello.pdf ) 5. Hema Upadhayay , Alka Goel Published (14 February 2020) “Narrow Lanes to Big Markets: An Overview of Traditional Printed Handloom Industry of Pilkhuwa”. academia. Retrieved on march 5 , 2022 from (https://www.academia.edu/41992617/Narrow_Lanes_to_ Big_Markets_An_Overview_of_Traditional_Printed_Handloom_Industry_of_Pilkhuwa_U_P_) 6. Samina Nasim (2019) “Mughal’s Flora and Fauna: Implementation of Cultural Designs on Modern Textiles of Pakistan”. the Research Society of Pakistan . Retrieved on march 5 , 2022 from(http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/history/PDF-FILES/21_56_2_19.pdf) 7. Organic Connect ( 4 August, 2018) “BACK FROM THE MEMORY LANE…”. Gatha. Retrieved on march 8 , 2022 from (https:// gaatha.com/back-from-the-memory-lane/) 8. “Wood Carving of Uttar Pradesh-Architectural, Interior Crafts, Wood”. asiainch. Retrieved on march 8 , 2022 from (https://asiainch. org/craft/wood-carving-of-saharanpur-uttar-pradesh/) 9. Ridham Ahuja ( 26 September, 2021) “Carving magic on wood: Evolving through centuries in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur”. timesofindia. Retrieved on march 8 , 2022 from (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/carving-magic-on-wood-evolving-through-thecenturies/articleshow/86510676.cms)

10. Dr. Anjali Pandey (February, 2016) “WOOD CRAFT OF BIHAR AND UTTAR PRADESH –A SURVEY”. granthaalayah. Retrieved on march 9 , 2022 from (http://granthaalayah.com/Articles/Vol4Iss2/27_IJRG16_A02_93.pdf) 11. “Arts and Crafts in Uttar Pradesh”. indianholiday. Retrieved on march 8, 2022 from (https://www.indianholiday.com/uttar-pradesh/ arts-and-crafts/) 12. Rashmi Sacher(2018) “The Ecosystem of Nagina Woodcarvers” Google art and culture. Retrieved on march 11 , 2022 from (https:// artsandculture.google.com/story/the-ecosystem-of-nagina-woodcarvers-dastkari-haat-samiti/EAVha-UJIWJ0KQ?hl=en ) 13. (2019) “GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS JOURNAL NO. 48” ipindia. Retrieved on march 6 , 2022 from (http://www.ipindia.gov. in/writereaddata/Portal/Images/pdf/journal_48.pdf)

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