Textile traditions of India: The awe-inspiring world of Ajrakh

Ajrakh is that awe-inspiring block print fabric, gratifying the senses and the soul, steeped in 400 year old history. How about enriching your sartorial taste with a dash of this vibrant fabric that defies geographical boundaries and connects us with the abundantly rich textile traditions of India. I'm happy to share my second blog in this series, featuring the world of Ajrakh.

Synonymous with the region with of Kutch and Sindh (in Pakistan) today, authentic Ajrakh is striving hard to revive and survive - it needs our appreciation, care and concern.  Patterns and designs that are rooted in our composite culture, tracing back to the Mohenjodaro civilization, bind us with our neighbour Pakistan and trace our links with the Egyptian glory.

Ajrakh takes me back to those days when Hyderabad had very few stores that sold ready-to-wear handlooms and hand block printed garments. I got introduced to Ajrakh at this small store in Lal Bahadur Stadium, run by Sohan Shetkari Sanghathan. I can still remember vividly how the store manager explained to me why Ajrakh garments cost more than other prints and how constrained I was to buy with with my measly pocket money in student days!

I always cherished the longing wish to own at least a kurta and a dupatta; here’s a stole from Fabindia that I usually pair with my tops and tunics for that awesomely earthy feeling!

Ajrakh is symbolic and and literal at the same time. The paradoxical name of aj-rakh (keep it today) actually refers to a process that takes days  as the fabric undergoes magical changes, transforming itself into something beautiful and ethereal.  As this richly informative source says: "The word Ajrakh also relates it to the Arabic word 'Ajrukh', meaning 'deep blue'; referring to the 'universe". The sharp geometrical patterns resembling stars and the indigo dye denoting the sky is a symbolic representation of the ‘universe’, originally depicting Islamic forms of architecture.

Here are some interesting facts about Ajrakh  that give its unique colours and shining finish no matter whether it’s done on cotton, silk or any other fabric:

• Authentic Ajrakh is printed on both side, with pure natural dyes
• A mixture of  camel dung soda ash, castor oil is used to soak the cloth and soften
• The resist method uses Chuna (quick lime ) and gum arabic to get the exact natural effect

This video captures the process in detail and shows the ingredients and the delicate intricacies that are followed traditionally

My interest in learning more about the textile, took me to the books and videos of Ms. Jasleen Dhamija, the well-known textile historian and author, deeply connected with crafts and handlooms of India. Spare a few minutes to watch Ms. Dhamija narrating interesting incidents that takes us back to historical moments:

It's almost impossible to say many nice things about Ajrakh in a short write-up. However, it's heartening to have so many online sources to learn from. I wouldn't have been able to compose this piece without referring to many online sources, particularly Youtube and Wikipedia.

(Contributed by Madhuri Dubey)

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Living traditions of India: Hand block printed fabrics

Block printing technique
(Photo Credit: Internet sources)

The textile heritage of India is a rich tapestry of diverse patterns and designs binding us with our multifaceted history, culture and traditions. The ethnic patterns, designs, printing and dyeing techniques can be traced back to the ancient Egyptian and Mohenjodaro civilizations. Block prints like Ajrakh, Bagh, Bagru, Sanganeri, Dabu, Kalamkari or tie and dye and resist methods like Bandhani and Batik are some forms of textile art that inscribe beautiful stories though colourful floral and abstract motifs and geometrical shapes.

The fact that these living traditions have survived the onslaught of mechanized printing and other economic compulsions of textile industry speaks volumes about how art and craft can never perish, with dedicated practice and patronage. 

Block printing on fabrics like cotton, silk, woollen or linen is a highly skilled process done manually, step-by-step, with incised wooden blocks. It's an art form practised by families for generations, using natural dyes and mordants. The process may be slow and painstaking but that's what gives it the eternal artistic value, simply unachievable by any other method. Most block printing is directly done on the cloth, however, some techniques require the cloth to be pre-dyed. 

This blog post introduces some of the popular block prints of India that are practised by artisans in different parts of the country as a means of sustained livelihood.

Soulful universe of Ajrakh

Like many textile art forms, Ajrakh has interesting stories to tell about its origin. With the sky as its predominant theme, this form embellishes the fabric with symbolic depictions of the universe in indigo, red and black as its primary colours. It’s a 16-step process of dyeing and printing, sincerely practiced by communities in Gujarat and Sindh, Pakistan.

Paisleys of Bagh

Though Bagh belongs to Madhya Pradesh, it traces its origin to Sindh and Rajasthan. The paisleys of Bagh combined with floral and geometric patterns have adorned sarees, dupattas, bed-covers, shawls, stoles and yardage for ages. The credit for keeping the tradition alive goes to Ismail Khatri who was recognized with a national award from the Government of India.

Blocks and dyes of Bagru and Sanganer

Block prints of India
(Photo Credit: Internet sources)

Bagru and Sanganeri are identified with the places where they are printed. This rich art form is more than a century old and it is one of the popular prints in Rajasthan, synonymous with bedcovers, sarees, quilts, skirts and stoles. The flora and fauna depicted in these fabrics are delicately complemented with earthy hues and themes from nature and abstract art.

Distinctly Dabu
Dabu is a natural dye based print using blocks and mud-resist technique with finely sieved clay, calcium hydroxide (Chuna in Hindi), wheat chaff and gum. Dabu belongs to Rajasthan and  its distinctiveness comes from the labourious process of dyeing and printing. The choice of organic colours and pastes with an interplay of the dark and the dull make it subtle and sublime.

Bold and beautiful Bandhani

Bandhani is the most popular textile art that spans the length of India from Rajasthan and Gujarat to Madurai, in the form of Sungudi sarees. This tie and dye form of printing is like playing hide and seek with the fabric in between the dots and the waves. Depending on the manner in which the tying is done, we get patterns like Mothra, Leheriya and Ekdali.

Subtle shades of Batik

Batik actually means writing with wax. The delicate process involves coating a part of the cloth with wax and then dyeing it to create simple and subtle patterns. But best Batik happens only by chance when some of the special effects get created in the natural way wax works on the fabric. Batik is found in many textiles traditions in different geographies of India.

Earthy Kalamkari

Kalamkari means crafting with the pen. It originated under the patronage of Golkonda Sultanate and presently it is identified with two forms: the Machilipatnam style and the Sri Kalahasthi style. The fabric is a unique mix of free style drawing and block printing. The prints are derived from the intricate paintings that had layered drawing and dyeing process.

The next blog posts will focus on the tales each textile art form has to tell and what it needs from us to live and thrive eternally.

(Contributed by Madhuri Dubey)

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