APPRECIATION OF TEXTILES

BAGRU TEXTILE OF RAJASTHAN

By-Kuntal MahatoRoll no. 09F.D.-5

Bagru, an erstwhile sleepy and desolate village on the Jaipur-Ajmer Road in Rajasthan, is now the cynosure of many fashion houses and boutiques. As the world is waking up to environmental consciousness and eco-living, this little village has been attracting the attention of green moguls as one of the must-have items in your home wardrobe. What draws the crowds is its ancient art and craft form that is high on ecological consciousness and for its use of eco-friendly hand block printing practices. Bagru boasts of a handful of crafts persons who still use traditional vegetable dyes in their hand block prints. Bagru’s method of printing is completely eco-friendly. From treating the base cloth with Fuller’s earth (multani mitti), soaking it in turmeric (haldi), to stamping the cloth with beautifully patterned blocks of wood using natural dyes of earthy hues, Since India is rich and abundant in its natural resources, most of its arts and craft forms derive raw materials and design influence from nature. Almost all the ancient art forms are eco-friendly and mostly celebrating nature. Bagru’s hand block printed fabric is no exception. From vegetable dyes, natural fabrics, nature-inspired patterns and design, its products are ecologically natural. Bagru prints are so unique and renowned that the Calico Museum of Textile in Ahmedabad, India, has commissioned a study into this old art form. Thanks to this kind of interest in ecofriendly printing practices, the village now hums with much activity: stamping, printing, dyeing and supplying the exquisite art form to different corners of the world.

BAGRU TEXTILE OF RAJASTHAN

History of Bagru Hand Block Printing

There is no authentic record for reference on backdating Bagru’s block printing practices. It is estimated that this art form was introduced 450 years back when a community of Chhipas (literally meaning people who stamp or print) came to Bagru from Sawai Madhopur (Alwar), and settled in Bagru. Even today, their community works together in a place called Chhippa Mohalla (Printer’s Quarters), by theSanjariariverside. It is perhaps the river name that lends it name to Sanganeri printing art form.

The Chippas community settled along the riverside, like any other nomadic settlement. The bank of the river provided then with clay which is an important ingredient in getting the base color of the famed Bagru prints. The artisans smear the cloth with Fuller’s earth got from the riverside and then dip it in turmeric water to get the beige colored background. After that, they stamp the cloth with beautiful designs using natural dyes of earthly shades.

Eco Friendly Colors used in Bagru Hand Block Printing Bagru prints are done on off-white, ivory white, or beige background. The main colors used in Bagru printing are black, red and maroon. These three main colors are extracted from naturally occurring sources: black is derived from worn-out iron horse or camel shoes soaked in water, red comes from gum paste and phitkari, and maroon is a result of mixing the above two colors.

Apart from these base colors, natural vegetable dyes are used to add colorful patters and designs. These include madder, indigo, pomegranate rind, turmeric, etc. Pigment colors such as green, rust, blue, violet, brown, and pink are added to appease wider markets. There is also a traditional reason for picking a particular color in the designs, such as indigo for Lord Krishna, saffron for a saint or yogi, yellow for spring season, etc.

Colors used in Bagru Hand Block Printing

Bagru prints are done on off-white, ivory white or beige background. The main colors used in Bagru printing are black, red and maroon. Apart from these base colors, natural vegetable dyes are used to add colorful patters and designs. These include madder, indigo, pomegranate rind, turmeric, etc. Pigment colors such as green, rust, blue, violet, brown, and pink are added to appease wider markets. There is also a traditional reason for picking a particular color in the designs, such as indigo for Lord Krishna, saffron for a saint or yogi, yellow for spring season, etc. The colors for the Bagru prints are prepared from natural dyes. The prints are essentially in two colors - Red and Black. The main natural colors are prepared in the following ways by the printers themselves:1. BLACK (Natural)-Worn-out iron horse-shoes or camel-shoes are soaked in water (fermented) (example 10 litres of water for 10 kg of horseshoe) to which molasses (gud) is added [1kg for 10 litres of water]. This mixture is kept aside for 15days. The process is carried on in a matka or a separate cement tank specially made for this purpose. After fifteen days the water is decanted and is used as the black pigment.2. RED (Natural) - First, a gum paste solution in water is kept overnight and then sieved through a cotton cloth. Hundred grams of phitakari (boiled in water) is then mixed in the gum solution. When this color is applied on the fabric with the help of blocks it appears brown in color, but after it is put in the (bhatti) furnace the color changes to red.3. MAROON (Natural) - In order to get this color, red and black colors are mixed in the ratio of 3:1 respectively i.e. 75% red and 25% black.The source materials for natural dyes are not only plentiful but also harmless and non-pollutant. The water from these dye baths is usually recycled to irrigate vegetable garden of peas, wheat, and other green vegetables and grains.Pigment ColorsOther than natural colors, pigment colors are also used for printing. Some of the pigment colors are:Green, Pink, Brown,Violet, Blue, RustThe basic color combinations used for Bagru printing are:1)       Cream , Maroon and Black2)       Black and white3)       Blue (indigo) and white

Indigo Colour

Colour obtained from turmeric

All the motifs are first carved on wooden blocks which are made by craftsmen called KHARAUDI. They specialize exclusively in the skill of hand-carving the designs on the blocks and do not use the electric machinery. They work with their traditional tools which include a ruler, compass, saw and wooden maller. A single colored block measuring 5.5 cms by 9cms, can cost between Rs. 350 and 800, depending upon the intricacy of the design. One block lasts for a maximum of 800- 1000mts. of fabric. Each design usually requires a set of several different blocks, including an outline (rekh), a background (gad), and filler (datta).Main patterns carved on the blocks are:1)       PATASHI with its tiny floral designs of buds, leaves and stems.2)       JHAD with its interviewing trendrils and distinctive border lines.3)       HATHI- the elephantBesides these the other motif used are floral, spiral, geometrical and figures like fishes etc. The Syahi-Begar prints are a combination of black and yellow ochre or cream. The Dabu prints are created by hiding them from dye, by applying a resist. Bagru prints are characterized by circular designs, as well as linear and floral patterns. Motifs printed at Bagru are large with bold line. Bagru motifs are more geometric than the sanganeri motifs. The patterns or designs/motifs which are traditionally made in Rajasthan can be classified as ‘boota’, bootie’ and ‘jal’.‘Boota’: ‘Boota’ is normally referred to as design which is single and complete in itself. The word ‘boota’ is derived from the Persian word ‘Butteh’ which means complete tree. ‘Bootas’ depict the flora and fauna of the region and sometimes birds are also seen. Since it is a single unit the spacing between the two impressions can be varied normally a ‘boota’ is not bigger than 3”x5”. ‘Booti’: ‘Booti’ is a smaller form of ‘boota’ and the spacing between one ‘booti’ and another is predetermined. There could be up to 20 booties on one block *, depending on the size and space, Like ‘boota’ most of the ‘booties’ depict the flora and fauna and birds of the area. Sometimes the geometric forms like dots, circles, squares and lines are also used. Designs on the Textile necessarily are repetitive in nature.

MOTIFS

PATASHI JHAD HATHI

The key to Anokhi’s success was the way it moved beyond the once fashionable “ethnic look” with innovative new designs and colours that were more suited to contemporary fashion and furnishing fabrics. This was a process driven by Rachel Singh and other designers she recruited from the UK, who were more in tunewith current international trends. Printers such as Suraj Naryan were receptive and quickly adapted to the new style, producing fabrics that would be turned into both Indian and Western garments – home textiles, sarongs and accessories. The role of companies such as Anokhi in saving the block-printing craft (Bagru ) of Rajasthan has now been widely acknowledged. “It is largely the efforts of private entrepreneurs that have ensured a dependable future for the art and its practitioners,” says textile craft expert Rta Kapur Chishti. .”

Fashion Designer Anju Modi has become the epitome of classic fashion. With product lines synonymous with designs that connect with the traditional Indian handicrafts of yesteryears, and converts them into ‘contemporary’ & modern look. Years 1995 to 1997: RajasthanDeveloped Kota fabrics, Bagru and Sanga-neri prints. Produced a range of reversible jackets, pajamas and blouses.

"I am concentrating more on textiles of India because there is so much that you can do here. My dream is to set up a cooperative of textiles especially with weavers. I travelled through all the tribal regions of India like Kotpat in Orissa, Kastakad in Andhra Pradesh and Bagru in Rajasthan. I just brought together collections and wanted to do a collection in Khadi, which was ageing, which are contemporary young Indian women's wear," said Sabhyasachi.

Fashion designer contribution