A Story Unveiled | Crafts from Kachchh

STORY

UNVEILED

CRAFTS OF KACHCHH

A CRAFT JOURNEY OF KACHCHH

NAVNEET BHAWAN

ROGAN ART Mr. Abdulgafoor Khatri would become an artist- a potent combination of genes and environment ensured that. Seven generation of the Khatri family have been practicing the art of Rogan painting, an ancient skill with Persian origins. The village of Nirona in Kutch, where Khatri and his ancestors have lived all their lives, has been the fertile soil that has nurtured many kinds of skills such as metal work, copper bell craft, embroidery ane wood work. Yet even in this immensely creative environment, Abdulgafoor Khatri’s family stands out, for the appear to be the only family practicing the little known art of Rogan painting.

And yet, when khatri was young adult, he turned his face away from the art he loved so much; trying his hand at various occupations such as selling vegetables, laboring at saw mill and block printing. The search for a steady job led him first to Ahmadabad and then to Mumbai, where he lived for two years. “Than in 1983, I got a call from my grandfather,” he recalls. “He was ailing and had a complicated order to execute. He was also desperate that this art should not die with him and my father. So I went back and picked up the brush again…… and haven’t put it down since Who can run away from his destiny?

The initial years were just as hard as he had envisaged. “Gujarat mein akaal bhi thaa… we artist were hard pressed to find a buyer.

But I preserved, started going to a couple of exhibitions in Delhi, and Slowly began to be recognized for my work.

In 1988, kharti won the State Award and inn 1997, the National Award. He smiles happily, “Awards are reassuring….My brother also won the National Award in 2003! . The community is proud of us. Truthfully, it is after winning these awards that I realized how fortunate I am to have this gift.”

The biggest problem that he continues to face is lack of awareness about Rogan Art which result in the finished product resembling a printed piece of fabric! Khatri rules, “It is perfection that we try to achieve with every painting, but it is so perfect that I have

to explain that is not printed, but painted by hand!”

The process is time-consuming. First the rogan (which takes its name from the Persian word ‘oil-based’) has to be prepared by heating castor oil to boiling point over three days, cooling and then as it thick-ens, mixing in appropriate amounts of colors. The pastes of yellow, red, white, green, black and orange are kept in earthn posts with water to keep them moist. A thin iron rod, flat at both ends, is used to paint. While geometrical prints are perennial favorite, khatri has experimented with motifs such as the “Three of Life and Moghul paisleys that find expression in cushion covers, bedspreads, kurtas, curtains, table clothes and wall hangings. It was Khatri’s intricate work on a sari, completed over a year,that won him the National Award.

Has the troubled environment in Gujarat over the last few years affected his creative output? Khatri stresses, “In Nirona there is lot of bhaichara. We artist are never troubled by these situations, which in any case is usually politically motivated. The society here is very secular – Ahirs, Muslims and Dalits all live peacefully. There is no discrimination. I also make it a point not to internlise any of these negative things, otherwise it would affect my art. Then I would not be true to the almighty” The Rogan art of painting is an ancient art over three hundred years old. The traditional Rogan flower motifs and designs speak of a Persian influence and the word Rogan itself means oil-based in Persian. Today, Nirona in Kutch is the only place where this work is created. When castor oil is heated over fire for more than twelve hours and cast into cold water, it produces a thick residue called rogan, which is mixed with natural colors obtained from the earth. With a six-inch wooden stick or pen, the craftspersons then draws out from this a fine thread which is painted to the cloth. Rogan painting is delicately and precisely painted from one’s own creative imagination and is done with total concentration sitting on the floor without using a table-frame or any outline. Rogan painted cloth is used for making pillow covers, tablecloths, wall hangings, file folders, decorative pieces and even saris.

Rogan art is a rare craft that is not well known

even in India. Because of its rare qualities, its practiced by only one family in India and they reside in Nirona village in Gujarat. Most of the other artisans have lost their art as it was not passed on during partition or lost from generation to generation. Rogan art is currently the bread earner for a family of Khatris. Gafoorbhai Khatri is the head of this family and he has kept the art alive by ensuring his entire family learns and practices his life’s work. He is a National award winner and is currently in the process of opening a school that teaches Rogan art to children from different families. He has not marketed his creativity through any distribution channels.

In Gujarat, Nirona, Khavada and Chaubari were the hubs of Rogan art and bustling with its practitioners till a few years ago but not any more.

The rich tradition of Rogan painting began some centuries ago among the Khatris, a Muslim community who trace their origin to Sindh.

The other Khatri craftsmen gave up their ancestral craft after it stopped yielding good returns and switched over to other jobs but not this particular family.

The eight male members — all of whom have State and National awards to their credit — in the joint Khatri family are experts of their craft and produce eclectic items like wall-hangings, pillow covers, table cloths bearing imagery which combines influences of Persian miniatures and local folk art, mainly for the international market. A lot of tourists who visit the village also pick up stuff from them.

The exposure tourism brought gradually led to an increase in demand. And the family now even runs a unit employing outsiders, with a hope to make their products available in the market.

Recently the family, with the support of an organization, has trained 60 women out of which some are employed with the Khatris and a few have been absorbed elsewhere.”

Marking a departure from the age-old tradition, the women have entered what was the reserve of the men folk.

ROGAN ART

Making colours

PRODUCTS:

Making colours is an equally significant part of the process. Castor oil is boiled extensively and vegetable dyes added to it. It is stored in earthen pots with water for some time and the final product obtained is a glue-like substance.

Product development is the source of income for these people and with the help of rogan art, they develop the products ranges of Home furnishing, Apparel & Life style accesories.

Reinventing the craft is as pressing a need as is the requirement to spread it. And the family is doing its bit. As against the bridal trousseau or bed sheets, quilt covers, etc., that Rogan was used to decorate, the craftsmen have extended it to contemporary products like bags, cushion covers, tablecloths and pieces that can be hung and framed. At the exhibition, Sumer had displayed a 50-yearold piece to demonstrate the difference to visitors. “It’s much sharper and refined. Tree of life with all its colour and vigour is the main imagery in our works.”

During the visit, It was observed that the major prducts selling wa Bags, Flie folder, Historical sarees, jackets, Kurta, cushion cover,mobile cover, Museum Piece & many more antique collection.

Traditional Rogan Art : contact Village : Nirona Taluka : Nakhatrana District : Kutch State : Gujarat.

Contact Persons : Khatri Abdulgafoor Daud National Award Winner – 1997 PhoneNo.+91-2835277788,+912835 277555.

Mo. +91 98257 53955

Khatri Arab Hasham State Award Winner – 1991 Khatri Sumar Daud Nationl Award Winner – 2003 Mo. +91 99987 88855

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(a) Preparation of the color with the help of the metal rod on the palm to get the move of the color.

(b) Mixing up the color nicely on the palm to have an idea of the feel of the color.

(e) Application of the color with the help of the metal rod for a nice curve to get the desired motif.

(f) Planning the motif around the fabric.

(i) Adding the details after the motif is done with the help of another metal rod.

(j) Once the motif is done, repeat the same to get a mirror image of the same.

(c)

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(c) Planning the motif and its application on the fabric.

(d) Application of thecolor in a different flow on the fabric to get a planned motif.

(g) Finishing the motif and ending the same at one angle.

(h) Once the motif is done, extracolor need to be taken out of the fabric.

(k) Showing the demonstrattion of the same with other motif.

(l) Material and its application.

One of the oldest Rogan Art from their family.

Kala Raksha Uniquely committed to documenting existing traditions, the Trust maintains a collection of heirloom textiles. This local Museum embodies a simple but revolutionary concept: involve people in presenting their own cultures.

The Museum was founded in 1996. In 2010, with support from Seagate, Kala Raksha was able to make the collections accessible to the world through the world wide web. We proudly invite you to browse our collections through this website.

Seagate commits to leverage the exponentially growing digital ecosystem to ensure that the rich historical, cultural and artistic traditions of indigenous peoples are preserved and shared. Seagate’s involvement in this digitization project aims to enable this unique heritage to be shared across borders

for future generations.

Tradition The evolution of living traditions is a practical phenomenon. Artisans know excellence, and they honor it by copying. But they would never copy exactly, for that is not art; they always add a personal twist.

Today, living craft traditions are precariously balanced on the edge of survival. Excellent examples of crafts have been removed from artisan communities, sold to collectors, tourists, or even museums. When artisans lose access to their own heritage, the link that ensured tradition is broken. At the same time, with commercialization the functional basis that drove innovation is disturbed. Crafts are disengaged from their role as intimate expressions of the cultures that engendered them.

Collections and Documentation Kala Raksha’s museum intends to make excellent examples of crafts available to artisans, so that traditions can be perpetuated in a contemporary way. The museum focuses on textiles from the communities with which Kala Raksha works and is located at the Community Center in Sumrasar Sheikh village. Each object in the collection is accessioned with thorough documentation.

In 2005, with funding from the Government of India, all of the collections were digitized onto a collections management data base, introduced for the first time in India at Kala Raksha. Object housing was also upgraded.

These improvements increased access to collections, with decrease in handling the objects.

With the collections on a data base, virtually unlimited research is possible. Increased access has increased artisan participation in

developing new designs, while providing computer education! Kala Raksha artisans use the Museum as a resource base for creating contemporary products through regular design workshops. With digitization of collections Kala Raksha proudly introduced our Heritage Collection, contemporary textile art based directly on Museum pieces. Today, artisan students of Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya also regularly study the Kala Raksha Museum objects and books in their year long course.

appropriate to the village setting.

Permanent Exhibition

Community Development through a Museum By encouraging the study of traditional arts, Kala Raksha’s museum increases understanding and appreciation of art and artisan, within as well as outside the community. The Trust involved artisans in documenting and installing the collections; thus the process of building the museum was as important as the collections themselves.

The input of the artisans ensured in-depth accuracy of information unknown by most

The permanent exhibition presents an introduction to traditional embroidery and a link between the collections and the artisans. Two traditions with which Kala Raksha works are displayed from the perspectives of: cultural context, cultural impact, technique and aesthetics. The display includes embroideries, costumes and jewelry, and employs technology and aesthetics

Exhibition text is in English. It encourages interaction through comparing the two cultures and inviting searching for motifs Kala Raksha films including Tanko Bole Chhe, Artisans Design, The Kala Raksha Story, the Masters Voices, and Rabaris 19742012 are aired on an LDC screen in the gallery.

"ONE WILL NOT FORGET THE COLOR OF THESE WALLS."

museums, and relevancy.

For the artisans, assisting in documentation increased self awareness and self respect.

Viewing their own culture from an outside perspective began reflection, a process essential to education.

As rural societies rapidly change, Kala Raksha’s concept of developing a community museum by involving the community can be a model for revitalizing both traditions and museums.

Embroidery: A Woman's Art Traditional Embroideries of Kutch Kutch is world renowned for its mirrored embroideries. Most of these were traditionally stitched by village women, for themselves and their families, to create festivity, honor deities, or generate wealth. While embroideries contributed to the substantial economic exchange required for marriage and fulfilled other social obligations which required gifts, unlike most crafts, they were never commercial products.

Embroidery also communicates self and status. Differences in style create and maintain distinctions that identify community, sub-community, and social status within community. The “mirror work” of Kutch is really a myriad of styles, which present a richly textured map of regions and ethnic groups. Each style, a distinct combination of stitches, patterns and colors, and rules for using them, was shaped by historical, socio-economic and cultural factors. Traditional but never static, styles evolved over time, responding to prevailing trends. (for more information on Kutch embroideries, see Frater, Judy, “Embroidery: A Woman’s History of Kutch,” in The Arts of Kutch, Mumbai: Marg Publication, 2000.)

The Styles With Which they work Currently, KALA RAKSHA works with six distinct hand embroidery styles: the SindhKutch regional styles of suf, khaarek, and paako, and the ethnic styles of Rabari, Garasia Jat, and Mutava.

Suf Suf is a painstaking embroidery based on the triangle, called a “suf.” Suf is counted on the warp and weft of the cloth in a surface satin stitch worked from the back. Motifs are never drawn. Each artisan imagines her design, then counts it out --in reverse! Skilled work thus requires an understanding of geometry and keen eyesight. A suf artisan displays virtuosity in detailing, filling symmetrical patterns with tiny triangles, and accent stitches.

Khaarek Khaarek is a geometric style also counted and precise. In this style, the artisan works out the structure of geometric patterns with an outline of black squares, then fills in the spaces with bands of satin stitching that are worked along warp and weft from the front.

Khaarek embroidery fills the entire fabric. In older khaarek work, cross stitching was also used.

Paako Paako literally solid, is a tight square chain and double buttonhole stitch embroidery, often with black slanted satin stitch outlining.

The motifs of paako, sketched in mud with needles, are primarily floral and generally arranged in symmetrical patterns.

Ethnic styles express lifestyle. They are practiced by pastoralists whose heritage is rooted

in community rather than land, and considered cultural property.

Rabari Rabari embroidery is unique to the nomadic Rabaris. Essential to Rabari embroidery is the use of mirrors in a variety of shapes. Rabaris outline patterns in chain stitch, then decorate them with a regular sequence of mirrors and accent stitches, in a regular sequence of colors. Rabaris also use decorative back stitching, called bakhiya, to decorate the seams of women’s blouses and men’s kediya/ jackets.

The style, like Rabaris, is ever evolving, and in abstract motifs Rabari women depict their changing world. Contemporary bold mirrored stitching nearly replaced a repertoire of delicate stitches --which Kala Raksha revived. (for more information on Rabari embroidery see Frater, Judy, Threads of Identity: Embroidery and Adornment of the Nomadic Rabaris, Ahmedabad: Mapin, 1995.)

Jat Garasia Jat work similarly “belongs” specifically to Garasia Jats, Islamic pastoralists who originated outside of Kutch. Garasia women stitch an array of geometric patterns in counted work based on cross stitch studded with minute mirrors to completely fill the yokes of their churi, a long gown. This style, displaying comprehension of the structure of fabric, is unique in Kutch and Sindh.

Mutava

The Mutavas are a small culturally unique group of Muslim herders who inhabit Banni, the desert grassland of northern Kutch. The exclusive Mutava style comprises minute renditions of local styles: paako, khaarek, haramji and Jat work, though these are known by different names. Specific patterns of each style, such as elongated hooked forms and fine back stitch outlining in paako, and an all-

over grid in haramji, are also unique to Mutava work. Though technique varies, Mutava style is uniformly fine and geometric.

Patchwork and Applique Patchwork and AppliquĂŠ Patchwork and appliquĂŠ traditions exist among most communities. For many embroidery styles, master craftwork depends on keen eyesight. By middle age, women can no longer see as well and they naturally turn their skills and repertoire of patterns to patchwork, a tradition that was originally devised to make use of old fabrics.

Soon after Kala Raksha’s inception, the Trust added patchwork to its line of products. Older artisans could thus join the cooperative.

Women need not feel their earning days are numbered. The elder patch workers as well as younger embroiderers can earn.

Craft Culturally, Kutch is very rich. A great range of ethnic communities live in the region, most maintaining traditional dress and crafts of many sorts, including weaving, dyeing, printing, bandhani (tie-dye), embroidery, leather work, pottery, woodwork, and metalwork. Originally, crafts existed integrated into local social systems. The user of the craft was intimately known. Design was an integral part of craft, as the artisan was designer, producer and marketer simultaneously. Designs evolved; innovation is critical to living art. But the changes were slow and organic.

The Current Situation

In the last few decades, these traditional crafts have undergone tremendous change. As local villagers seek cheaper mass produced functional wares, artisans are compelled to find new markets. Fortunately, sophisticated urban markets have welcomed the concept of traditional crafts. However, traditional work must adapt to the new clientele. In addition, since the market has expanded, innovations must now be faster and less subtle. While enterprising, artisans do not always have adequate information about the tastes of new markets. For a myriad of reasons including social attitudes, they do not have access to the better markets. Commercialization in this situation has induced a downward spiral of declining quality. In efforts to revive

quality, it has been recognized that new design is needed to make craft sustainable. But conventionally, this has been perceived as a need for design intervention, in the form of trained designers giving new designs to artisans. The implication is that designers have knowledge, while artisans have skills. When design, or art, is separated from craft, or labour, the artisan is essentially reduced to a labourer, reinforcing the low social status of craft. Further, most commercialized craft aims for quick, standardized and low cost replication. This emulates the factory model.

The strength of hand craft, the personal, hand made quality, is forgotten. The net result is that even when artisans can earn a living by producing contemporary versions, most do not wish their children to be artisans. Surely, design input is needed for new markets. But KALA RAKSHA believes that the approach must be altered to enable the artisan to be significantly involved in both design and craft.

Kala Raksha Products Sales

KALA RAKSHA products are sold through shops at Hotel Ilark in Bhuj, Rann Riders in Dasada, and of course Kala Raksha Trust, Sumrasar Sheikh, ta. Bhuj, Kutch 370001.

We also sell directly to retail customers at exhibitions held outside Kutch, and produce to order for buyers all over the world.

KALA RAKSHA is committed to excellent quality and eco-friendly, natural materials.

The Trust also strives to maximize local production, creating a network that benefits Kutchi artisans. Where local production is not possible, raw materials are procured from other artisan groups. Most of our textile products begin with 100% cotton and wool handloom. Our 100% matka silk is produced by a cooperative in Bihar.

Pricing Pricing is done according to fair trade practices. We begin with the actual cost of wages, determined by the artisan Pricing Committee, along with the cost of materials and fabrication. To this is added a modest mark-up to cover all other indirect costs incurred by the Trust. Thus, on the average 30% of the price you pay goes directly to the embroidery or patchwork artisan who made the product.

BRILLIANT BANDHANI

SIDR CRAFT Much like the ajrakh block printing which was the subject of my last post, another resist-dyed textile craft of the same area – Kutch in north Gujarat, is bandhani or tiedye. Like ajrakh its rich pattern and texture gives it the ability to sparkle and entrance the viewer or wearer. The tiny white dots created by meticulously tying thousands of sections of the cloth to resist the rich colours of dye it is then dipped in, create an illusion of stars in the night sky, much like the resist-printed patterns of ajrakh. Worn as odhini (shawl), choli (blouse) and gaghra (skirt) by women in many communities all over Gujarat and Rajasthan, this affect is heightened as the fabric shimmers and sparkles with every movement the wearer makes.

Ladies in the village of Hodka, Kutch wearing bandhani odhinis and ghaggra Ladies in the village of Hodka, Kutch wearing bandhani odhinis and ghaggra. Photo: Ruth Clifford

Origins The name bandhani derives from the Sanskrit words bandhana and bandha meaning ‘to tie’.

It is from this word that the English named bandanna for the spotted handkerchief came from when traded to Europe from India.

Again like ajrakh, bandhani’s presumed origin dates right back to the Indus Valley Civilisation. The mordant dyeing equipment found at the famous Indus site of Mohendjodaro suggests these dyeing and printing methods could have been in practice this far back.

This is further suggested by the stone statue of a Brahmin priest wearing a patterned scarf, which some believe could have been printed. However, more accurate evidence of the practice of bandhani in ancient times is the Buddhist murals at the Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra depicting female figures wearing bodices with spotted pattern and ikat skirts.

Amongst the textile fragments unearthed at the medieval site of Fostat, near Cairo, which included block-printed fabrics from Gujarat, were block-printed patterns imitating tie-dye.

Imitated bandhani printed patterns are still widely block printed and screen printed today.

A bandhani imitated, block-printed odhani produced for the harijan community by Khatri Kasam Haji Junas in Khavda, Kutch A bandhani imitated, block-printed odhani produced for the harijan community by Khatri Kasam Haji Junas in Khavda, Kutch.

The wearing of bandhani serves as a marker of identity in many communities in the regions it is produced, and features strongly in the wedding outfit due to its perceived auspicious qualities. The finer the bandhani, the more expensive it is, and thus, very fine tie dyed odhnis are worn by women in the richer communities of merchants, landlords and the higher class of craftsmen.

The craft is practiced by Khatris in Kutch, in Bhuj, Abdasa Taluka, Anjar and Mandvi.

Saurashtra in Southern Gujarat has larger bandhani workshops in Jamnagar, Porbandar, Morvi, Rajkot and Wadwhan near Surendranagar. Bikaner, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jaipur and Udaipur are a few bandhani centres in Rajasthan.

Process The traditional process involved placing fabric over nails set in wood blocks and tying the fabric by pinching it over the nails with the thumb and forefinger. However, more modern methods involve transferring the pattern onto the fabric using these same blocks with inserted nails, or carved wooden blocks and printing with a paste of geru – a red ochre.

However, a more common method is stencilling the patterns using a pierced plastic sheet and a fugitive dye mixed with kerosene.

The tying is usually done by women, and the dyeing by men. The fabric is pinched at each marked dot and pushed into peaks helped by a finger nail or small metal point, and thread is tied around about 6 to 8 times. A knot is looped around and the same line of thread is used to tie the next dot, and so on.

Tying the cloth Tying the cloth. The fabric is often folded to make the processes quicker, while also creating a mirrored design. The number of stages of tying and dyeing depends on the number of colours and complexity of the design.

dyes are being revived, and are particularly popular amongst foreign and urban markets.

After being dipped into the dye, the fabric is dried, then stretched out to reveal the pattern.

Often the bandhani cloths are sold with the threads still on the cloths to prove it is a genuine hand tie-dyed article, and the customer then has the pleasure of revealing the pattern for themselves.

Khatri Alimohamed Isha and his son stretching a bandhani stole to reveal the pattern Khatri Alimohamed Isha and his son stretching a bandhani stole to reveal the pattern.

Photo: Ruth Clifford

Contemporary bandhani In the last few decades, bandhani has experienced success in Indian urban and global markets. Adapted designs, new colours, natural dyes and new garments made by skilled craftspeople using the traditional technique can be found in up-market shops all over India and abroad. These include Bhandej (a variation of the word bandhani which also refers to the tie dye technique), Aranya Naturals in Kerala whose focus is natural dyes and also produce block print and hand painted cloths, Anokhi who have shops in cities

all over India, Kala Raksha and Khamir in Kutch.

Kamaldeep Kaur Neelgar An individual who has worked hard to keep the traditional craft of bandhani skills going, and put the craft on an international platform, is consultant designer and researcer in natural dyes, resist dyeing and printing, Kamaldeep Kaur, also known by her company name Neelgar.

After completing a two year fashion design diploma in Delhi, Kamaldeep worked for various top fashion houses and boutiques followed by a spell at the Gujarat State Emporium in Ahmedabad. Here she worked extensively in the villages with various traditional artisans. The resulting products in GURJARI– the shops for the Gujarat State Handicrafts Development Cooperation, were admired by many companies and encouraged her to develop her own production of soft furnishings and garments. After many successful projects with artisans in Gujarat offering her design expertise to help build their markets, Kamaldeep specialised in bandhani.

She started with a task force of eight wom-

en and is now supporting about 200 families, training them in design and quality. A piece can take from four weeks to one year to produce depending upon the design .So far the largest number of dots/ knots in a piece has been approximately 80 thousand and it took a year to make.

Kamaldeep tells me that recent collections have been inspired by different cultures, traditions and nature. She has been particularly inspired by Japan, Africa and Malaysia. For example in a recent piece she has taken motifs used in Malaysian ikat and translated them in a bandhani pattern. Kamaldeep explains that her recent focus has been on quality and to promote this quality all over the world, informing people of the rich traditions in craft and the high level of skill of craftspeople in India, and with an aim to rid the view of India’s cloth production existing solely of the

cheap mass-produced garments.

Khatri Alimohamed Isha

Alimohamed is one of a few hereditary artisans of bandhani who have become well known in contemporary markets for producing very high quality, fine bandhani scarves and garments in silk, wool and cotton. He

lives and works at Khatri Chowk in Bhuj, named after the high concentration of Khatris of printing and dyeing who have lived there for centuries. He travels all over the world to give workshops, promote the craft and sell his work. He also receives visitors from all over the world including textile tour groups, buyers, collectors and museum curators. I took part in a workshop with Alimohamed and his son way back in 2008 and having a go at this craft made me realise how skilful it is. My attempt was a very inferior piece with huge resist dyed sections, not able to master the tiny dots that the skilled women produce.

Alimohamed is on the board of master craftsmen advisors at Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya, helping young aspiring artisan-designers keep in touch with their traditional craft while creatively innovating upon these and making them relevant to contemporary markets.

Abduljabbar Khatri Also based in Bhuj, Abduljabbar and his brother Abdullah whose business is called SIDR Craft, are known for their innovative contemporary productions of bandhani which have featured on the catwalks of Mumbai fashion week, and like Alimohamed, at international fairs and exhibitions such as the renowned Sante Fe International Folk market.

Also like Alimohamed, Abduljabbar and Abdullah have revived the use of natural dyes in bandhani production and has achieved a beautiful array of rich colours derived from madder, indigo, turmeric, rhubarb, logwood and weld.

Ajabbar 3 Abduljabbar said he and his brother grew up at an interesting time – when there was an increasing interest in traditional craft amongst government and non-government initiatives and foreign markets, along with an inspirational family – their father had received a Bachelor of Arts, and their uncles and cousins who became expert dyers, reviving the craft following its decline in their family during industrialisation. These influences led to Abduljabbar to apprentice in tie and dye workshops and study a Commerce course which led to working full time on their craft.

Both brothers have since received the UNESCO seal of Excellence and other awards, and demonstrated and exhibited at workshops, fairs and exhibitions all over the world.

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(a) Take the ready design mark-up pattern

(b) Use the pigment dipped in kerosene oil.

(e) Apply the pigment in an uniform way.

(f) Fold the frabric uniform way.

(i) Proces of tieing the thread with fabric.

(j) process of raising the fabric for raising the same for the 3D look.

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(c) Keep the tracing pattern on the fabric.

(d) Use a brush to add pigment on the fabric and trace it.

(g) Using the Fine thread for the tieing the fabric on the pattern.

(h)Tools ready for the tieung.

(k) Trace the pattern on the other size of the fabric as well and do the same throughout the product.

(l) Later, dye the fabric in different colors.

An extraordinary piece of work.

ROHI | KHAMIR

Khamir works to strengthen and promote the rich artisan traditions of Kachchh district. Our name stands for Kachchh Heritage, Art, Music, Information and Resources. Khamir means ‘intrinsic pride’ in Kachchhi, the local language. In Hindi it means ‘to ferment,’ an equally apt name given the constant fermentation of ideas and activity on going both within the organization, and in Kachchh at large.

Born in 2005 as a joint initiative of Kachchh Nav Nirman Abhiyan and the Nehru Foundation for Development, Khamir was formally registered under the Societies and Trust Acts in the same year. Today, it serves as a platform for the promotion of traditional handicrafts and allied cultural practices, the processes involved in their creation, and the preservation of culture, community and local environments.

At Khamir, we strive to create a democratic and empowering space - a common roof under which a range of stakeholders can exchange ideas and collaborate. We work to shift consumer perspectives and raise the cultural value placed on crafts. Our vision is of a vibrant, sustainable Indian craft sector in which crafts and artisans alike are highly valued by people worldwide.

“If we get work in the factory, our salary will be enough to live comfortably. But when the wind blows towards us, it brings those bad fumes from the chimneys. Even the trees have become darker since the factory came up. For the pocket it is good, but for our health, it isn’t. But the bigger reason I cannot work there is because I cannot leave this leather work -- I am devoted to it.”

Bells & Leather Belys Crafts Like any other craft, the craft of copper coated bells evolved from the need of the time and region. In earlier times, before the division of India and Pakistan, there used to be constant movement of people between these regions. Live-stock was a major occupation in Kachchh. The Lohar community from Sindh, (now in Pakistan) saw the potential for their craft and brought the craft to the land of Kachchh.

Ancestors of copper bell makers sold their products to the local communities. Maldharis Bharvads and Rabaris (pastoral communities) were their major clientele and shared a very close relationship with the bell artisans. The Bharvads and Rabaris would sit with the bell makers describing the sound that their cattle recognize. The bell makers set the sound and tone till his client felt convinced of the sound.

The bells come at a very high price and carry a life-time warranty. If there is any change in sound or the shining fades, then the copper bell artisans refurbish it free of cost. Almost all the live-stock was adorned with their bells thus providing a very good market.

Metal bells are made from the collective work and skill of a family. First, men shape each bell. They hammer rectangular strips of recycled metal into a cylindrical hollow and weld a dome-like metal crown to the bell’s cylindrical body. Next, artisans bend and attach a metal strip to the crown so the bell can be hung. Once the bell is shaped, women dip it in a solution of earth and water. They cover the wet bell with a mixture of powdered brass and copper. The bell, with its powdered coat, is wrapped in a pancake of local clay and cotton and placed in a kiln to bake. After it is properly baked, the cotton is peeled away and any excess clay is rubbed off. Each bell is buffed and polished to accentuate its unique metallic sheen. A ringer, made of a dense wood called sheesham, is attached inside the bell, converting the hollow metal object into a music maker.

Old timers often refer to the bells by their original names such as chota paila, paila dingla, do dingla rather than the sizes. These names are the local currency equivalents for which bells could be bought at the time.

The Dalit Meghwals of Rajasthan migrated to Kachchh, bringing an artful leather craft with them. The trade was kept alive by a partnership with nomadic pastoralist Maldharis. When a Maldhari cattle died, the Meghwals converted the raw hides into leather. The work was tough, taking eighteen labor intensive days to treat and wash the hide.

By recycling the dead cattle, the Meghwals gave new life to waste, transforming it into a product of utility. The Meghwals’ close relationship with the Maldharis resulted in a remarkable fusion of cultural customs which can be seen in the shared styles of dress and embroidery traditions of the various communities in the region.

Kachchhi leather was so well treated and durable that it could hold water. As such, it was made into long-lasting items like shoes, water bottles, horse saddles and water jugs.

It is said that artisans once used real silver thread to bind pieces of leather together.

Emerging, cheaper factory-made products in the local market have caused the local value chain to become fragmented. Meghwals are no longer converting raw hide into leather in Kachchh due to the social stigmas attached to this practice. Now, leather artisans are dependent on external markets for both raw material and trade.

Traditional community linkages based on this craft are mostly broken because leather artisans cannot depend on their former market. Maldharis and farmers are no

longer wearing traditional leather footwear, preferring more modern forms of dress. With no control on raw materials, artisans are not able to insulate themselves from the highly fluctuating market prices. The price of raw leather has risen 20 times since 2000, but the selling price of finished leather goods has only risen 3 times. Without proper training and linkages, artisans are not able to reach the right market segment nor able to understand the needs of the segment.

Many artisans are leaving leather craft, opting to work in factories. Local leather craft is losing its high quality, adopting a cheap, kitschy aesthetic that satisfies regional tourism.

The main techniques of leather craftsmanship in Kachchh are Jari Kaam and Torni. In Jari Kaam, a silver and golden Jari is used to create various design and motifs on leather goods.

Traditionally Jari kaam was used to decorate horse back riding gear. The same work is also transferred in the modern products like shoes, bags and other accessories. In Torni work technique, the coarse yarns were used to create colorful patterns on various leather items. It is mainly used to decorate the borders of leather goods. The dyeing of leather is also a unique practice of Kutch. The raw leather is dyed with various dyes from the local market.

cycled plastic is woven using a technology ancient to Kachchh - the pit loom.

The Recycled Plastic initiative is an example of the way craft can alter a space and generate income for marginal people. This is a skill that can be easily learnt by neo-weavers and can become a source of supplementary income to medium skilled weavers, homebased workers, disabled and senior citizens.

In our age of global warming, this project has great significance. Rather than creating new materials, this intervention has found a way to re-use waste and protect our environment from the harsh toxins that modern production technologies may produce.

Plastic in the Kachchh Environment There is a tradition of resourcefulness all rural communities. As the local leather artisans once used the waste of Maldhari cattle hides to craft goods, now Khamir has created an intervention to make new goods from waste plastic. Plastic takes thousands of years to degrade, preventing soil from being used productively and leaching its way into groundwater.

One method of plastic waste disposal that has been common to Kachchh is burning large piles of plastic. Studies have shown that burning plastic may release carcinogenic toxins into the air. Littering is a common problem, and trash in Bhuj rarely makes it to a landfill. Recognizing the issue of waste disposal as a global problem, it is necessary to create new, lasting solutions.

Community Threads Providing employment to plastic waste collectors, area committees, schools, and nearby industries to collect plastic waste, Khamir cleans, sorts and segregates used plastic based on its color and quality. Cleaned plastic is cut into long strips by women from villages near Kukma. The plastic strips of different colors are woven into durable textiles. Nylon is used for the warp, and plastic forms the weft, creating a thick dense material useful for mats, backpacks, or cushions. Weaving is a skill intrinsic to the Kachchh, and the re-

The Possibilities for Plastic An intervention of Khamir, plastic weaving is now practiced by several weavers on our campus and at their homes. Khamir works actively to train weavers to use plastic, and has led the way in the trade and marketing of this material. Additionally, Khamir is working to overturn local stigmas about waste reuse by introducing plastic woven items into the local community.

PROCESS The plastic collected from garbage in urban area provides employment to the rag pickers, schools, and factories. This collected plastic is cleaned and segregated based on colour and quality. The cleaned plastic is then cut into long strips.

These strips are spun onto a bobbin and used in traditional pit and standing looms to create plastic textiles.

KALA COTTON WEAVING From 3000 BC until the 1750’s, only the indigenous arboreum and herbaceum plants were used to grow cotton in India. Samples found from Mohen-jo-daro were made from these plants, which today are known as old world cotton. In the early market systems of Kachchh, farmers and weavers worked together to create rich, organic woven textiles with a soft but durable texture. Creating textiles from local, old world cotton is part of a vibrant national legacy of making cloth from the first to last step on Indian soil. Khamir’s Kala Cotton Initiative is a reinterpretation of an old craft value chain made for the modern marketplace.

Uncertain Times Khamir's Kala Cotton Initiative encourages sustainable cotton textile production, and the preservation of agricultural and artisan livelihoods in Kachchh. After the 2001 earthquake, Kachchh experienced rapid industrialization.

Though industry brought new prosperity, it has adversely impacted cultural livelihoods and their endurance is now shrouded in uncertainty. The number of weavers in Kachchh declined from over 2000 in the mid 1990s to only 600-700 in practice today. Small-scale weavers could not buy raw materials in bulk, and faced great difficulties in integrating with changing markets. There was a clear need to develop a local value chain in order to insulate these weavers from external market fluctuations in raw materials which come from as far away as Australia.

Rediscovering Local Cotton Kala cotton is indigenous to Kachchh and organic, as the farmers do not use any pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. It is a purely rain fed crop that has a high tolerance for both disease and pests, and requires minimal investment. It is resilient and resurgent in the face of difficult land conditions. It forms a strong, coarse, stretchable fiber that is often used in denim. As it is difficult to produce fine quality textiles with it, as its short staple length translates to fewer twists per inch of yarn, over time its use has diminished significantly in mainstream markets.

After years of experimentation and perfecting both spinning and weaving techniques, Khamir began producing the first Kala Cotton goods in 2010. Today, the Kala Cotton Initiative encourages sustainable cotton textile production in harmony with local ecology. The project aims to create a value chain at multiple levels by working with marginalized communities and promoting locally grown species.

To implement this initiative, Khamir and Satvik have created supply chain between the Kala Cotton farmers, ginners, spinners and weavers to convert the raw cotton into hand woven products Kala cotton is also now being registered as a trademark.

Crafting Mashroo The Mashroo textile was woven for Muslim communities, who believed that silk should not touch a person’s skin. Crafting a solution that enabled people to honor this belief while still appearing dressed in the finest clothing, weavers mixed silk and cotton threads to create a textile that was simple cotton on one side and rich silk on the other. The meaning of Mashroo is “this is allowed.” The port town of Mandvi is at the center of Mashroo legacy in Kachchh, historically creating luxurious bolts of the fabric that Muslims and Hindus enjoyed. In the regions of Saurashtra and Kachchh , women stitch mashroo kanjari (backless blouses), skirts, and cholis. Mashroo helped weave communities together.

The Ahir Patels (farmers) produced cotton, which was handspun and then given the the weavers. Rabari and Ahir women did embroidery and mirror work to create even more distinctive versions of mashroo.

Mashroo was a royal craft, produced in large quantities until the 1900’s for local elite and export markets. Till recently, the Maheshwari weavers practiced the craft.

Today's Threads Today, traditional mashroo weaving is on the brink of extinction.The clothing styles of the Kachchhi people have changed, severing the original community linkages. Mashroo cloth can be made by power looms today, which people prefer to the more costly handmade mashroos. With a declining export market, mashroo weavers are using cotton staple instead of silk to meet the price needs of the domestic market. The original mashroo of cotton and silk, with its lush texture, is not produced anymore because the market is no longer discerning and demanding for it.

Preserving a Future When Khamir was founded, most mashroo weavers were only aligned with a single trader. Khamir created an alternate space that supported weavers on the verge of giving up the craft. As an immediate measure, Khamir created a raw-material depot. We encouraged the artisans to work regularly by purchasing

their entire annual stock. With a full stock of mashroo, Khamir explored new markets through exhibitions, designers and sari suppliers. In time, weavers increased the palette of colors and incorporated new designs which included fusing other crafts like leather.

At present there are 15-20 mashroo weavers, and the number of weavers aligned with Khamir is steadily increasing, while recognition of the mashroo textile is on the upswing.

PROCESS Mashroo is woven with a 7 to 12 peddle loom which requires the artisan to skillfully move their hands and legs in harmony. There are eighty threads in a mashroo per inch, which is much higher than in a standard woven textile.

It is difficult for a weaver to create a piece which is both big in size and high in thread count, and so Mashroo is only available in a width of 23 inches. The pure silk once used to make Mashroo has been replaced by art silk, rayon and stapple cotton.

VA R N KA R

Weaving in Bhujodi At either side of the central dusty road running through the village are nondescript concrete walls, many painted in the concrete manufacturer’s yellow lion logo, a common site all over Kutch. If it were not for the rhythmic ‘clack, clack, clack’ sound of wood on wood, having the curiosity to peer into an open door and seeing a weaver at his loom, yarn hanging to dry or a woman tying a bobbin using a bicycle wheel, you may not realise that the majority of the 1200 people behind these walls are Vankars – traditional weavers.

I visited Shamji, son of the renowned Master Artisan and National Award winner Vishram Valji Vankar, who along with his four brothers runs a thriving business with customers all over the world. Shamji and I had met a couple of times before – the first back in 2008 on my very first trip to Kutch, and the second when he was exhibiting in Manchester.

Shamji kindly found time amongst his busy schedule to talk to me about the history of weaving in his village, which he has gathered documentation on for the last 20 years.

As well as weavers, the village of Bhujodi is also home to Rabaris, nomadic and shepherd communities who were the original customers of the Vankars along with Bharwards and Ahirs living in neighboring villages. These communities supplied the weavers with

fleeces from their sheep. In turn, the Vankars made veil cloths, skirts and blankets.

How to make a Rabari shawl Below is the traditional process involved in the making of a Rabari shawl: Wool is spun by either the weaver’s family – most often the women, or the Rabari communities for who the shawl is ultimately made.

The weaver weaves the cloth. The traditional pit looms were usually only wide enough for one half of the shawl so two pieces were woven then sewn together using the distinctive and decorative ‘fish stitch’.

The woven cloth was then sent to the Khatris – the dyers to dye the cloth. If it was to be tie dyed, the cloth was first given to the rabari woman – the customer – to choose her preferred design. She would then give this back to the weaver who would give to the Khatri to carry out the dyeing.

Once dyeing was complete it was given back to the Rabari woman who would embellish the shawl with dense and elaborate bright colored embroidery.

Until recently, shearing was done by the shepherds themselves. Now sheep shearers come from near the Rajasthan border twice a year to travel from village to village to shear the sheep, Shamji tells me. The local desi wool is very coarse and while it was popular for the Rabari and Ahir men as blankets (dhablo)

while out in the cold harsh desert, and for the Rabari women because of their belief in its ritual purity, it doesn’t have this significance for the urban and foreign clientele who now make up the majority of the weavers’ market.

Most Vankars now use imported wool such as Merino from New Zealand, as well as cotton and silk for scarves, stoles and shawls.

Shamji does include local wool shawls in his shop, some un-dyed (the natural color of the sheep), some dyed in natural indigo, others in chemical colors, which he says are popular with foreign markets as throws.

Unless the shawl has to be piece-dyed or tiedyed, as mentioned above, the weavers usually dye the yarns themselves before weaving, or procure ready-dyed yarns. Shamji often does the dyeing himself so he can get the exact color he needs. Lac dye was traditionally used for women’s shawls, a dye which Shamji and others have revived over the past few decades after its decline in the middle of last century.

The making of a Rabari shawl using the full process as described above is not in practice as much now due to the length of time it takes, and the high cost. They are popular amongst textile collectors but the originals are getting harder and harder to come by. Modernized versions of the shawls are commissioned by some NGOs and Shamji works closely with a group of Rabari ladies in Lodai, north Kutch to add traditional Rabari embroidery in a

contemporary palette to his hand-woven silk, cotton and wool shawls.

I also went to visit Dahyalal, a weaver who used to work for Shamji but after graduating from Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya, has now set up on his own.

The school that began in 2005 to provide design education to artisans – encompassing drawing, color, marketing, business and presentation – has turned many artisans of the local area into successful business men and women. Dahyalalbhai now produces some innovative contemporary pieces largely for a foreign and urban clientele. He recently sold the majority of his stock at the world renowned Sante Fe International Folk Art fair.

Mentoring the artisans of Bagalkot Jyantilal is another Bhujodi weaver who used to work for a Master Weaver before graduating from KRV and now running a successful enterprise. He is also currently studying on the new initiative Somaiya Kalavidya founded by KRV director Judy Frater. As part of this course, which has a strong focus on business management and marketing, Jyantitlal and Chamanlal, another successful weaver from Bhujodi, have been mentoring a group of Ilkal Sari weavers from Bagalkot in Karnataka for a project called ‘Bhujodi to Bagalkot‘.

The area of Bagalkot is in need of development and so Judy Frater saw the potential for innovating upon the saris of Bagalkot for new markets. In a pioneering collaborative project in which artisans are working with artisans – rather than designers or buyers with artisans – each group of weavers have taken aspects of both weaving traditions and innovated upon these to make a collection of contemporary saris, shawls and scarves for an exhibition that will be held at the Artisans Centre in Mumbai from the 8th October.

But weaving doesn’t only happen in Bhujodi. There are weavers scattered in villages all over Kutch. Another such weaver is Magan Govin Vankar, another KRV graduate from Nirona village. While Magan Govin sold the whole of his KRV collection bar one scarf, he now mainly produces for the local market.

He told me he’d like to produce for a wider market, but I wondered whether being separate from the well visited and tourist friendly Bhujodi made it more difficult for him.

Ramji Maheshwari living in the village of Sumarasar, about 20 km north of Bhuj, another graduate from KRV and current student at SKV eagerly showed me his large collection of innovative hand-woven shawls and stoles incorporating traditional Kutchi motifs alongside ikat, stripes and checks. Ramji has done well with marketing, particularly to the tourist market for which his products are very successful.

This bunch of strong strands is then taken inside the house, where several people are engaged in different stages of the weaving process. Some are busy cranking a machine that spins the thread onto a spindle, preparing the weft.

A woman is working at high-speed to prepare the warp thread on a wooden frame called‘chaukhta’. In the corner, a man is weaving on a shuttle loom. Vankaar Mosi Beljiexplained that, through the means of division of labor, it’s the men who sit on the loom as it needs a lot of stamina, while women take care of the auxiliary processes like making yarn on the charkha, laying it on the loom and adding value to the woven articles.

Inside his room, carpets, shawls, stoles and placemats were neatly piled. Some had bright colors others dark, and still others retained the natural color of the fibers. Many of them contained small round mirrors that were so naturally into the woven design.

Apart from Bhujodi, Vannora, Kota, Jamthara, Sarli, Bhuj, Kadarthi are other villages in Kutch region where weaving happens. Weaving as a process goes around the year apart from the rainy season, when work hits a lean because of practical reasons.

Well the one that plays in the houses of Bhujodiis a wee bit different, not just in what you hear but also in the instruments that play. The musicians of Bhujodi play on … from morning to dusk, meditatively. Their orchestra constitutes of spin wheels for strings, wooden loom for beats, and for vocals there are chirping birds, sojourning the mud ledges for grains and water, offspring giggling and playing pee-ka-boo across the courtyard, Mooing cow in the corner and almost certainly, filling the background will be either the folk tunes or the old bollywood melodies.

All of this manifesting into a concert, not just ears get accustomed to, but hands follow too. Meditatively weaving motifs out of a deeper conscience we call genetic inheritance. Each woven fabric carries with it, millions of such consciences, intertwined with the warp and the weft, closely put together to form the fabric of life.

Bhujodi, a 500 years old village in kutch is the mother to this need-fully evolved craft, shouldered by 200 of its weavers today. The craft is said to have evolved as a need to cover against weather, at the time barter system was practiced as a method of exchange. ‘Rabaris’ being the original nomads and cattle rearer provided wool, milk products and grains to the village and ‘Vankars’ took up to weaving cloth. While rearing cattle pretty much remained the same, the Vankars with an indigenous technique in hand had breakthroughs one after the other.

AJ RA KH: B LO CK PR I NTI N G

Ajrakh printing is a cloth block printing technique that employs beautiful geographic patterns and other designs, a high percentage of which are traditional to India & other areas with Sufi Muslim roots (the Mideast, etc.).

Many of the designs go back for nine generations in Ismailbhai’s family, and some of the designs are hundreds or even thousands of years old.

These Ajrakh printers also generally use natural (vegetable & mineral) dyes, which is most unusual in the textile industry that is today totally dominated by the use of less expensive, less healthy, and less vibrant chemical dyes.

Ajrakhpur is known worldwide for the art of Ajrakh, block printing uses colors derived from nature, such as indigo, henna, turmeric, pomegranate, iron and mud. In some cases, the fabrics are washed up to 20 times.

Ajrakh fabrics The printing blocks are hand-carved.

Printing blocks Ismail Mohammed Khatri’s traditional expertise in block-printing and natural dyes was given due recognition when De Montfort University of Leicester presented this skilled craftsman with an honorary doctorate in textiles.

has gained critical acclaim for his innovative use of natural dyes that include a mixture of camel dung, soda ash and castor oil, waste iron, myrobalan, madder, indigo, pomegranate peel boiled in water, sprays of turmeric water and the root of rhubarb!

Due to a devastating earthquake in 2001, many traditional block-printing artisans of this region were killed or had their homes and workshops destroyed.

Ismail Mohammed Khatri’s workshop

He gathers all the tools that he needs in a few seconds and spreads them on a small foot stool that he uses as a workbench. He explains that this stool was made by his dad, it has 2 small compartments to keep the smallest wood cutters and punch. He then takes position behind his pillar drill and starts showing us how to shape a block.

The Khatris are a community of block-printers adept in the 3,000-year-old art of Ajrakh.

The process is complex and involves 16 different processes. Ismail Mohammed Khatri

We are all fascinated by the speed at which he moves the block to carve the shape of the design he has previously marked on the piece of wood. When they were not using a power

drill, they used to spend up to 6 days to finish one block. Now, depending on the complexity of the design, it can take a few hours to a day.

He still wants to show us how a block is made completely by hand and makes us go through the whole process. Marking. Shaping. Drilling. Cutting. Carving and Cleaning.

The intricacy of the design is impressive and his precision and patience to transform it into a block is mind blowing. The shape that he is making will then be used to print thousands of meters of cloth, a single mistake will also be visible that many times… He is one more essential link in this fascinating chain of human skills that is block-printing.

As I pick up a paper with a beautiful ajrakh pattern handdrawn on it, covered with sawdust, swimming in this workshop, I ask him, “Hosafabhai, why aren’t there more block makers like you in Kachchh?”

He hands me a saucer of chai and says, ” Because you have to sit. You have to sit the whole day. Sit sit sit. Be patient. and concentrate. Sit. It is true that many people know how to make blocks. They have the skill. But they do not want to sit. You have to be passionate and you just have to sit.”

He spends nearly 2 hours sitting with us, replying to our questions and showing us all the steps of his work. During this entire time I didn’t once think of the chaos that was surrounding us, I only saw his passion, his dexterity, his smile and the beautiful perfection of his work.

“Breath in,” Dr. lsmail Khatri pushed a yellow scarf in front of my nose in Ajrakhpur, a village of families dedicated to block-printing in Kutch, a semi-arid region of Northwest India.It smelled like my lunch.

century. Now, he and his sons Sufiyan and Juned run a natural-dye Ajrakh operation.

Their family home is a sanctuary for seekers of handmade textiles in India.

Under the ceiling fan in Dr. Ismail’s office, I unfold and refold hundreds of meters of handprinted fabric, layering myself in enough colors to rival Joseph. I ask about the patterns draped over my shoulders and learn that the teardrop shapes aligned in dizzying symmetry signify khareks, or sweet dates. Following the Muslim tradition, Ajrakh designs are aniconic: they do not depict human or animal figures. Instead, they represent local botany, ceremonious fruits and interpretations of the night sky.

“Turmeric and Pomegranate skins for yellow,” Dr. Ismail explained. The smell is the way buyers ensure that the dye used is not synthetic.

I unearth the deepest colored fabrics from the Khatri’s inventory and hold them against my face in front of a mirror. In some communities of Kutch, color intensity of Ajrakh textiles denotes age: younger women wear lighter shades and graduate to darker colors with age, depicting the depth of their wisdom. Traditionally, printed motifs in women’s dress shift with each life-cycle.

Dr. Ismail was born into a centuries-old tradition of Ajrakh, or block-printing. His ancestors were recruited to Kutch from a historic province of Pakistan, Sindh, at the king’s request for handmade textiles in the 16th

Women throughout Kutch don unique Ajrakh traditions as communal and individual identification codes. In the Khatri family, when women become married they wear haidharo prints, floral motifs in red and white on a

yellow background. When their son marries, their dress shifts to the jimardi print whose floral depictions are more intricate and printed in dark blues and reds on an emerald background. Once widowed, women of the Khatri family adopt the ghaggro print, a floral motif printed in dark reds and blues. Men traditionally wear red and indigo Ajrakh turbans and shoulder cloths that double as spice sacks or namaaz prayer mats.

I recognize the weight of distinctions that my choice of fabrics carry, but am overwhelmed by my mission to select the prettiest. I leave them folded on a chair when Sufiyan’s wife, Hamida, calls me into the kitchen. I watch her peel carrots and hold her toddler until he starts crying. She takes her child and hands me a carrot peeler. Together we cook Gajar Halwa, a sweet made from carrots, sugar and cream straight from the family’s buffalo herd.

Gajar Halwa is a treat traditionally prepared for special guests, of which the Khatris have no shortage. Designers, students and textile enthusiasts stream into their home to touch, smell and purchase Ajrakh textiles.

Nine hundred and fifty kilometers south of Kutch, Dr. Ismail’s cousins, Ahmed Khatri and his son Sarfraz run Pracheen, a block-printing studio in Mumbai with a kindred buzz. Years ago, Ahmed learned natural dye recipes and techniques from Dr. Ismail,

into which he has since infused mysterious secret recipes that seduce some of the world’s top designers and India’s most worshiped Bollywood heroes.

From the outside, the Pracheen workspace in Southeast Mumbai is unremarkable. The main door is hidden amongst hundreds of others that look just like it surrounded by mobs of peddlers, merchants and animals.

Inside, three dark flights of stairs with no railing lead to a small office that opens into a grand studio of long tables set with meters of stretched handwoven silk or organic cotton.

Barefooted men shuffle along the narrow tables as they thump wooden blocks onto white space in a steady beat.

I remove my shoes and let myself into the studio. I pause in reverence as I witness the thousands of hand-carved wooden blocks stacked on top of one another and organized by the motifs carved into them. They line the walls of the studio representing hours of labor at the hands of artisans. Ahmed’s family lives on the floor below the studio and his goats occupy the rooftop terrace. Ahmed and Sarfraz serve fresh coconut water to each visitor, a trademark of their customer service.

The Khatri operations in Ajrakhpur and Mumbai are both thriving. The families share a deep reverence for Mohammed, vowing

that faith fuels their commitment to craftsmanship and beauty. While sharp contemporary angles mask some traditional motifs on the printed fabric, underlying patterns can be recognized in Islamic art and architecture.

The Khatris credit God for their inspiration, creativity and business acumen.

The name Khatri translates literally into one who fills with color. The cousins in Ajrakhpur and Mumbai have the same indigo-stained nail-beds, exposing their possession of the secrets that transform local nature into vivid textiles. Both families honor the environment through preservation of water and commitment to the use of natural colors such as indigo, madder and turmeric instead of synthetic dyes.

Dr. lsmail remembers rubbing pomegranate skin water onto fabric as a child. His family was one of the first in India to document experimentation with locally found materials as textile dyes. When I first visited him, he took me on a tour of his backyard and led me to a tree.

“The bark is used for orange color,” he said, plucking at its trunk.

He then led me to a bucket of murky stew made from “rusty things” (bicycle pieces and scraps of fences). It had been fermenting with

sugar cane and chickpea flour to yield a black color, which is used to outline the intricate designs on Ajrakh fabric. I gagged when I leaned over the top to look inside.

The art of Ajrakh seems to be magic, but the process is precise and laborious. White cloth is stretched and pinned onto a table. Printers, men trained in the precise art of Ajrakh, dunk wooden blocks into pastes of mud, resists that shield the adherence of dye to fabric and mordants that react with natural chemicals to absorb certain dye colors. The pastes are made from common ingredients including tamarind seed, arabic gum, clay and millet flour.

The printers, men from nearby villages, hover the mud-painted blocks over cloth to ensure symmetrical application and pound them with heavy-forced whacks hundreds of times until the cloth is completely stamped with designs. Sawdust or buffalo dung is immediately sprinkled on the fabric to prevent the prints from smudging. It is sunbathed to dry and then dipped into fermented indigo, which is light green until it is oxidized into deep blue.

After it dries in the sun again, it is washed and beaten, removing the mud pastes from the cloth. This process is performed several times until the cloth is transformed into a multicolored mural crowded with time-honored motifs.

M U N D RA: BATI K PR I NTI N G

Shakil’s family, from Mundra city, has been printing traditional Batik work for five generations. Until 2004, his family was famous as the Ghaniwla family, a joint family of 70 people under one roof. The family owns several shops in Mundra and Bhuj. Today, Shakil’s immediate family has a separate Batik workshop. Shakil completed most of his studies in Mundra. The subject he liked the most was drawing, and what he liked least was mathematics. However, he handled the business part of his craft while he was studying. Shakil learned batik from his father and uncle when he was 17. His natural inclination towards drawing helped him prepare new block designs, which is his specialty. Shakil has little experience with workshops or exhibitions. He attended only one local function in Gandhidham. He tried to associate himself with NGOs but did not find it worthwhile til now.

Shakil likes traditional designs, and has collected many examples. He feels that design depends on product. The placement of motif and use of colour are important to good design. Shakil feels that a good artisan should focus on quality. He should prepare new designs according to the market but based on a clear understanding of his tradition.

Lying in the western frontiers of India, the Gujarat province with its 1600 km long coastline has been the centre for international trade since ancient times. The trade vastly depended on agricultural produce and products of fine craftsmanship, port of Mundra being one of the major stops during ancient and medieval period. Archeological Evidences reveal existence of strong trade relations between the port of Mundra and ports in Arab and Egypt along the Red sea. These goods were further transported to Europe through Mediterranean Sea. Until 1969, the port was still used by Haj pilgrims to commence their sacred journeys.

Due to flourishing trade in this coastal town, people from various communities and regions started inhabiting here. Amongst these were some of the craftsmen communities that saw great trading potential for their products, Batik printers being one of them. As a result, the town of Mundra had some of the finest Batik workshops.

Batik prints were an essential part of the daily ensemble of the native communities, the artisans made ‘Odhna’ (90’’ X 90’’) for women with Fulkiya print, Bairaj print, Singh Champa print and Chonia print. It was made by stitching two length of fabric side by side and each community had their own preference of motifs. Khatri community women wore Batik Salwars, which were hand-stitched by them.

As for men, they used to wear batik printed ‘mediya rumaal’ ( kerchiefs) as turbans.

Mundra-batic-prints There was a time when Mundra and Bhujpur (village near Mundra) were known for their Batik. The Mundra family of Batik artisans once comprised of sixty-six members and all of them were involved in carrying out the process. With the arrival of industrially produced colorful alternatives, the craft faced an unjust competition and consumption gradually decreased over the years. The new generations moved on to more lucrative livelihoods and the workshops stopped printing fabrics in 1960. Then again in 1961, a couple of enthusiastic artisans began reviving this native craft. Presently, the traditional batik fabric can only be found in the local market at kutch or at very few shops in Ahmedabad, as only a few families could continue with this craft.

Gujarat-batic-crafts Today, there are 4-5 Batik workshops in Mundra. The process starts with removal of starch from the plain white fabric. The fabric is soaked in soda and with thorough rinsing; the starch from the fabric is removed. A work table is prepared by spreading river-bed sand on a long rectangular surface. The printer begins block-printing with wax once the plain fabric is laid out on the table. block-wax-printing The fabric is dyed after the printer is done with the first phase of wax printing. Post-dyeing, the area covered with wax retains the base color, while rest of the fabric attains the dye color. Number of stages of printing and dyeing depends upon the design and colors involved. When the whole printing process is completed, the process is concluded with subsequent washes in warm water. The wax melts and it is collected in a separate container. Thereon, the fabric is sun dried. Each

fabric is about 10 metres in length. These are rolled and stacked in the warehouse. wax-for-batic It is the fifth generation of artisans practicing the craft in Mundra. Amongst the present generation of printers, Shakeel Ahmed Khatri continues to work as a pioneer towards the revival of the craft and his work has received appreciation across the world. To keep up with the heavy demand, Shakeel says “Mundra artisans are using Parraffin wax these days (earlier beeswax was used for printing ), which is sourced from China.” Around 75% of the wax used for printing is reclaimed and used again.

For dyes, the artisans use reactive and napthol dyes which are derived chemically. The artisans find it difficult to use traditional natural dyes such as alizarine, rust, turmeric, indigo etc. as they react badly with paraffin wax; they are still searching for the alternatives to paraffin wax, so that the whole process can be made organic and sustainable again. batic-process-mundra These Batik workshops of Mundra are grounds of interesting conversations between people, their stained hands and the long stretches of fabrics, between resistive wax and persuasive dyes. The emerging patterns hold within them the very proof of these conversations, the tales of resistance, perseverance and acceptance.

AN INterview with SHAkEEL AHMED KHATRI Mundra-based Shakeel Ahmed learnt batik printing from his father and his maternal and paternal uncles. Historically, Mundra, Anjar, Valsad, and Bhuj were the main production centres of this craft. Talking of his family history, Shakeel told us that once the family household consisted of sixty-six members, all of whom were engaged in batik printing.

Now, things have changed and the family is more dispersed. The members of the family involved in batik are the fifth generation to do so, but the methods used have changed little over the years. The women in the family tie bandhaniand also manage the household, and therefore have little time to be involved in any of the stage of batik printing process.

batik workshopIn the first stage of the batik process, white cloth is taken and de-starched by soaking overnight in a soda water, and is subsequently washed. For printing, the white cloth is coated with wax and dyed. The exact process of both wax coating and dyeing depends upon the colours to be used; the number of colours equates to the number of times the printing and dyeing process is carried out. Paraffin wax is used, and is kept in a vessel above a burner or stove, ensuring the wax stays fluid. As the hot wax is sprinkled on the cloth, the sand pads below cool the wax to prevent smudging. This laborious and tedious work necessitates a great degree of care and focus. The wax covers the design, which then resists the dye. Wax is also used as a resist on those parts of the fabric which will be dyed a shade different from the base colour. The natural hairline cracks in the wax coating give the characteristic effect of batik.

Shakeel identifies that as the ‘character of batik’. The look is spontaneous, dappled and unique, giving the fabric a remarkable look.

Shakeel adds that thinner fabric is more effective for creating a sharp design.

Another unique feature of batik followed by Shakeel’s family which distinguishes the art from other types of batik is uses of blocks for

applying the wax and designs. In this process a carved wooden block is immersed in melted paraffin wax and printed on white cloth.

Elsewhere, a brush is used for applying the wax. Shakeel explains that for different types of motifs the printing technique also varies.

For instance, for the gadhdesign, negative is printed and positive is not printed; the part of the design not incorporated in the motif is waxed, rather than the other way around.

The design range includes floral and geometric shapes. Shakeel himself has developed an acute sense of design after a course at Kalaraksha. Shakeel was made more aware of the importance of his craft due to his training at Kalaraksha too, which stressed the significance of retaining the traditions and originality of the art form. Having realised the value of block printing he then persuaded his family members to preserve many of the old blocks.

Shakeel told us that previously, only sadlasfor the Patels were made. Another popular garment was Kotadia which was printed in a red and black design for the Khatri weddings known as Ijaz (parallel worn below the gown). Kotia has been in vogue for many years for both the Hindu and Muslim Khatris. The other traditional motifs are kachbo, kanski, and jalebi. The start range of their ba-

tik fabric is 70 to 80 rupees per meter, and it reaches up to 500 rupees per meter if on silk. shakeelShakeel’s family have a workshop of about twenty five year old and including Shakeel, four family members looks after the work of making, marketing and supervising workers. There are four workers engaged in printing, and five others for painting, washing and waxing. Shakeel is aware of the Indonesian and Malaysian batik art. Their technique is different as their key instrument is a chilam (smoke holder) for creating the designs. Today, Shakeels markets are mostly local – Ahmedabad is particularly important – and he has so far not launched his products at the international level.

Shakeel is aware of the history of his port town that was once a prosperous mercantile centre. Its shipping businesses flourished and there were regular contacts with Muscat. He was also aware of Ibji Shivji, a business person and brother of Jairam Shivji, a famous tycoon of Zanzibar.

Process of Batik PRinting Batik Blockprinting has a process that involves using wax as a resist material. The wax is heated, and printed using a carved wooden block on a plain piece of cloth.

The cloth is left to dry and the wax hardens.

Afterwards, it is dyed in color. The effect produced is a veinlike quality that creates intricate, thin web-like patterns across the cloth. The printing, washing, and dyeing process is repeated several times in order to acheive a multiple colored fabric.

Originally, Batik prints were made by dipping a block into hot piloo seed oil, which was then pressed onto fabric. After dyeing, the oil paste was peeled off to reveal a print.

Over time, wax was adopted in the technical process of Batik printing as a more practical alternative to oil, which had to be pressed from thousands of small seeds. The adoption of wax changed the appearance of the textile.

In wax printing, thin webs of dye run through the motif creating a beautiful veined appearance.

Wax print batik flourished in Kachchh in the 1960’s due to the crafts rising popularity in foreign markets coinciding with the hippie movement and the emergence of chemical dyes, which worked in tandem with wax printing in contrast with vegetable dyes that were unfit for Batik making.

Batik artisans today are struggling to stay afloat in a modern and competitive marketplace.

Their style of printing is oftentimes replicated by screen and laser printers, who can make textiles in larger quantities to sell in bulk.

Post-60’s the popularity of Batik has faded, often associated with that decade rather than with modern, high fashion. In Kachchh, communities that once wore Batik are more eager to buy mill cloth that is available for cheap prices in the local marketplace.

RA BA R IS

Compiled by: Padma Raj Keshri | National Institute of Design | Story Unveiled- Crafts of Kachchh