Aranya Natural & Athulya at Srishti Welfare Centre in Munnar

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Toothpicker

Before visiting Munnar, I was not aware of the health issues related to tea plantation workers in India. Often foreign media would focus on the working conditions of garment factory workers, yet the problems related to tea plantation workers (primarily female) are largely ignored. Although they are not stuck inside cramped factories, tea plantation workers have to deal with other serious safety and health issues. Locals told me that workers not only have to work long hours at low wages, they also have to live together in communial dormitories with poor sanitation at the tea estates. Health awareness among the tea plantation workers is poor, and often they give births to children with various health conditions and disabilities, yet they receive hardly any government support.

In 1991, the Srishti Trust was formed, backed by Tata Tea Limited, to support differently-abled children of the estate workers. Founded by Ratna Krishna Kumar, the Trust launched two major projects: Aranya Natural and Athulya, aiming to rehabilitate local youngsters in a safe and fair environment. Later, Nisarga (the strawberry unit) and The Deli (a bakery and confectionery) were added to make preserves, breads and cookies using locally-grown ingredients.

Most visitors to Munnar would head to the main tourist attractions, but few would seek out the Srishti Welfare Centre. Well, they are really missing out. In 1996, the Srishti Welfare Centre moved to an abandoned shed in Tata Tea’s Nettimudi estate outside of the town centre. Their beautiful site is open to the public and visitors can meet many happy workers who are trained at natural dyeing and paper-making. What started out as an experiment has paid off for Ratna and her all-female team’, now even big corporations have employed the Trust to make paper and textiles-related products.

Aryana Natural is the natural dyeing department at Srishti. All the textiles here are created in a non-toxic environment and all the dyes are azo-free. Many dyes are locally sourced, like eucalyptus, Nilgiri kozha (eupatorium), tea waste, pine cones and other leaves, petals, roots and bark are harvested from the forest nearby. Some specific dyes are sourced elsewhere, like indigo from South India, lac from Jangir Champa, and myrobalan, from traditional medicine shops in Coimbatore. Only natural fabrics such as cotton and silk are used as they work best with natural dyes.

Every newcomer would receive training by volunteered trainers for about six months on skills particular to their aptitude and interests. Each artisan would specialise in at least one technique i.e. shibori or traditional block printing. World-renowned Japanese textile artist and researcher, Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada, regularly visits and acts as mentor to the young learners. She introduced many traditional Japanese shibori techniques to the trainees, which enable them to develop the skills further. Most of the artisans I spoke to told me that they really enjoy their work, and it was amazing to watch them work – they are fast and very skilled.

Athulya is the handmade paper unit that creates handmade paper from recycle waste paper, cut boards and other stationery waste. It is committed to use only natural additives in their paper, most of them are found around Munnar like tea, eucalyptus leaves, lemon grass, pineapple leaves, onion peel, flower petals, elephant droppings and water hyacinth (which is a weed affecting our back waters).

Now around thirty people work in this unit and they produce over 52 eco-friendly, azo-free, biodegradable recycled paper products by hand. It is also encouraging to see Starbucks hiring the unit to produce their shopping bags.

At the back of the sheds, there are a line of greenhouses growing organic vegetables and plants. Seasonal vegetables are picked and used in the Srishti canteen where nearly two hundred employees have lunch every day. There is also a playground for the staff’s children to play, and an award-winning flower garden that features a wide variety of flowers.

One cannot come here without stopping at the shop. The Aranya Natural shop has to be the most beautiful shop in Munnar. It sells one-of-a-kind handdyed scarves, clothing and home accessories made by the artisans next door. The prices are extremely reasonable and you would not be able to find them elsewhere. If you purchase here, you are directly helping the centre and the artisans, thus making a bold statement supporting sustainable textiles and fashion.

The Srishti Welfare Centre is not only a beautiful site, it is also an inspiring organisation. Before my trip, I knew little about this place, and I am flabbergasted that few people outside of the textiles world have heard of it. If you have only one day in Munnar, make sure that you spare time to visit this centre because it is well worth it.

Aranya Natural’s “The sustainability of natural dyes” conference in Munnar

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Toothpicker

The purpose of my trip to India in February was to attend a natural dyeing conference. And it took place before COVID-19 changed our lives. Aranya Natural is a natural dyeing organisation under Srishti Trust in Munnar, supported by TATA Global Beverages Limited, which runs programs for the education training and rehabilitation of the differently abled children of Munnar’s tea plantation workers. Last year, it was the organisation’s 25th anniversary, and “The sustainability of natural dyes” conference was organised as part of the celebration. However, the conference was postponed by a year after a major flood in Kerala devasted many parts of the state. It was fortunate that the conference managed to take place before COVID-19 started to spread in India, otherwise it would have been cancelled for the second time.

Honestly, I am not a big fan of conference and would rarely volunteerily attend one. Yet this conference was like no other, and I felt that it would be beneficial if I want to continue my natural dyeing practice. To me, natural dyeing is not merely a hobby, it has become my passion and aspiration in recent years. Currently, we are seeing a revival of natural and indigo dyeing as many people realise the harmful effects of synthetic dyes on our bodies and environment.

Left: The conference schedule; Right: A local indigo farmer and conference attendee

The 2-day conference took place at Eastend Hotel in Munnar, bringing dyers, manufacturers, teachers, designers, farmers, and enthusiasts etc together from Indian and around the world. One huge draw for me was the list of speakers, which included experts like Yoshiko Wada, Jenny Balfour Paul, Michel Garcia, Charlotte Kwon (Maiwa), Dominique Cardon, Jagada Rajappa and Buaisou… these are all big names in the natural dyeing and textiles world, so it was a rare opportunity to meet them all in one room.

One factor differentiates Aranya Natural from other organisations – it is an all-women team led by a visionary founder, Ratna Krishnakumar. Since India is a patriarchal society, it is inspiring to see the empowerment of women here. The fact is women in India are likely to face more challenges than women in the West, so being able to run an all-female team here is highly commendable.

The conference also addressed the most important issue that we are facing in the textiles and fashion industry today – sustainability. The rise of fast fashion has done immense damage to our environment in the past decade or so, hence the conference aimed to increase the awareness of natural dyes, and discuss how the industry can shift from using synthetic dyes to more sustainable ones.

Until recently, sustainability has been fashion industry’s last concern. If you trace the path of your favourite item from Primark, then you might be in for a surprise. Your ‘bargain’ £10 shirt probably costs about £3-4 to make, meanwhile the garment factory worker in Bangladesh would receive less than £1 for a day’s work (14-16 hours). Aside from exploitation of these workers, the environmental damage caused by the chemicals used is unaccountable. Although India has had a long history with natural dyes, many garment manufacturers have now switched to synthetic dyes to cope with the high demand from the fast fashion sector. Natural dyes have been pushed aside due to higher costs. lower production rate and more labour intensive.

So, how can we re-introduce natural dyes back into the profit-driven industry? There are no easy answers, but I did meet some young Indian designers at the conference who are using natural dyes to create beautiful designs. I do hope that they will change the landscape of Indian fashion in the future.

Soham Dave and his sustainable collection

When I was still a student years ago, I bought my first shibori book, “Shibori: The Inventive Art Of Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing” by artist, author, and curator, Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada. This is an important book to me and I never thought I would get the chance to meet Yoshiko in person, but I did – we even exchanged contacts, and later had dinner together, which all felt a bit surreal. Besides Yoshida, I also spoke to other speakers like Dominique Cardon, Michel Garcia, Axel Becker, Jagada Rajappa, William Ingram from Threads of Life, and Rashmi Bharti, the co-founder of Avani. The conference also enabled me to connect and make friends with attendees from around the world. Many of them are dyers, designers, textiles teachers, and shop owners etc, so I found the whole experience valuable and unforgettable.

The talks on both days covered a wide range of topics relating to sustainability and natural dyeing, but the word ‘indigo’ was a key term at the conference. Indigo is probably the most mysterious and complex natural dye of all. Indigofera is a flowering plant of over 750 species and belongs to the pea family, Fabaceae. It has been in cultivation in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide for many centuries, yet the characteristics of each specie varies and can yield different shades of blue. The world-renowned indigo expert writer, artist and curator, Jenny Balfour-Paul has published several indigo-related books, and she was the last speaker to give a talk on indigo. Not long ago, I read her novel “Deeper than Indigo: Tracing Thomas Machell, Forgotten Explorer“, hence it was interesting to hear her examine the colour ‘blue’ from many angles.

Talks and slides on indigo

On both evenings after the conference, there were entertainments including dance and music performances, violin recital, and fashion show. The fashion show featured natural dyed designs created by Riddhi Jain (Studio Medium), Sreejith Jeevan (Studio Rouka) and Sunita Shankar. Unlike other fashion shows, their show was modelled by workers at Srishti, which was more authentic and fun.

Based in New Dehli, Riddhi Jain is a rising star in India’s fashion world who has won the Elle Decor India Design Awards, International Craft Awards and India Story design awards amongst others. She told me that she employs a small team of artisans and designers to create beautiful hand-dyed and hand-stitched shibori pieces that are one of a kind. I love her designs, and honestly, I would rather spend my money on an unique handmade piece that supports a local craft community than a designer piece that supports its marketing campaigns and executives.

3rd row: Riddhi Jain and her collection; 4th row: Sunita Shankar and her collection; bottom row: Sreejith Jeevan and his collection.

I never knew that conferences could be so exhausting! Besides two full-day talks from 9am to 5pm, I did not anticipate two hours of evening entertainments, followed by dinners at 9 pm on both nights. Despite the lack of rest, I was still looking forward to attending two more days of workshops led by different experts. And I got to visit the beautiful site of Aranya Natural, which is located outside of the polluted town centre.

To be continued…

I loved my conference gift bag

Sidhpur: splendid architecture in a neglected town

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Toothpicker

After a visit to the ghost village Durgapur (see earlier post here) near Mandvi, we visited another sleepy town called Sidhpur in Patan. Both places have exquiste haveli architecture but barely any occupants. What on earth happened to these places? I can’t fathom why these home owners abandoned their beautiful homes. It makes me wonder if Gujarat is full of these demise towns and villages.

Situated on the left bank of the River Saraswati, Sidhpur is in fact a scared town within Patan, one of the early medieval capitals of Gujarat. Named after the great Solanki ruler of Gujarat – Siddhraj Jaisinh, the name literally means ‘a pious place’. It was a prominent town in the 10th century under the Solanki rulers, and home to the desecrated 10th-12th century Rudra Mahalaya Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva (now it is a ruin and protected national monument). The town was full of temples, kunds, ashrams and other sacred places that drew pilgrims from everywhere.

Yet our guide did not take us to the archaeological sites, instead he brought us to another part of town where there are rows of abandoned/demolished havelis with few pedestrians and cars. As soon as we saw the architecture, it was another “Wow” moment for all of us. From afar, it reminded me of Cuba; although I have never visited Cuba, these havelis resemble the Cuban architecture I have seen in photograhs/video footage. Perhaps it is due to the European influences and neoclassical features, as well as the colourful facades.

Welcome to the Dawoodi Bohras neighbourhood. The Dawoodi Bohras is a Shia-Muslim trading community, flourished in Sidhpur from the 1820s to the 1930s. These havelis were built by the prosperous Shia-Muslim traders, and they are all highly ornamented. Every house’s façade has an intricate monogram with the initials of the owners, and unqiue decorations that differentiate itself from other houses. The architecture style here is quite eclectic, where you can see influences from Europe, Persia and India, thus it is really a big ‘melting pot’.

The sad thing is that these havelis are mostly neglected, while some are being demolished. Like Durgapur in Mandvi, I doubt these houses are being preserved by the local authority, hence they may all crumble one day and just become piles of dust. I don’t know much about India’s architectural conservation guidelines, but it appears that the authorities tend to focus more on monuments than residential houses that also desreve preserving. If we look at SIngapore, their govenment has made immense effort into architectural conservation of heritage buildings, and have succeeded in conserving iconic monuments and residential buildings (despite that some may think that these buildings look too new and polished). If the local authority has the foresight, they could revive this neighbourhood and make it prosperous again.

After we left the residential area, we saw more activities on the main road, and here the mansions look even grander. I felt like I have travelled from Cuba to Southern Europe within minutes. The facades remind me of the Renaissance architecture in Spain and Italy – amazing!

Since I am unable to do much to save these buildings, I can only write and post these photographs in the hope that more locals would become aware of their existence and persuade the government to protect these invaluable heritage buildings.

Durgapur: a forgotten village with stunning haveli architecture

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Toothpicker

Before coming to India, many people (who have never been to India before) were concerned about my safety traveling in India as a female, as well as food hygiene, street beggars, the list goes on. Yet during my travel, I was incredibly impressed by the friendly people I encountered, the beautiful places I visited, and the vast array of intricate traditional crafts produced by artisans in all fields. India, is like a treasure chest that I had just opened and I was enchanted by everything I saw.

One of the most surreal and memorable places of the trip is a small derelict village on the outskirt of Mandvi called Durgapur. From the photos, you might think that this is a Bollywood film set, but it isn’t, it is a real village with houses, temple, post office and school. There is no online information about this village, so I am grateful that our guide brought us to this special place.

Our guide told us that most of the havelis in this abandoned village are owned by the wealthy Jain community. According to the 2001 Census of India, there are around 4.2 million living in India, while Gujarat and Rajasthan have the highest concentration of Jain population. For centuries, Jains are famous as community of traders and merchants, and have the highest literacy rate in India, 94.1.% compared with the national average of 65.38%.

Since Mandvi is was once a major port of the region, it would be logical to assume that these havelis were built by Jain traders and merchants over 100 years ago. Haveli is a unique vernacular architecture form originated from Persia but flourished in the 18th and 19th century in Gujarat and Rajasthan, western India. The Persian term haveli means ‘enclosed space’, and they usually contain a courtyard. Judging from the architectural styles and ornaments on the facades, it is not hard to tell that this must have been a prosperous village. The most notable feature is the first floor balconies that extend outwards prominently. And when we looked closer, we could see elaborate decorations around the entrances and on the facades.

As we walked around the village, we barely saw more than 5 people in the streets, it felt like an eerie ghost village. So what happened to this village? According to our guide, these are ancestral homes of the Jain community, but the younger generations no longer wanted to live in these houses and had abandoned them and moved to other cities or towns. Yet the community has refused to sell them to outsiders nor restore them, hence the havelis are now in such dilapidated state.

It is upsetting and frustrating to hear that no one has bothered to protect these hertiage homes or attempt to conserve them. Where are all the architectural conservation groups in India? Our guide said that this village is not an isolated case, there are many villages across India that are experiencing the same fate. My guess is that India already has many important issues to deal with, and architectural conservation is probably low on their list. Standing outside of these heritage buildings, all I could do was to record them before they eventually crumble into dust.

While many houses were boarded up, there was a Jain temple that remained open. This is a highly ornamented temple that looks quite new or has been restored recently. Again, there was no one inside, and it seems odd to have such a decorative temple with no worshippers.

Finally we heard some construction noises coming out from a building, and we went to have a peek. We saw a few builders inside and found out that they were renovating a former school. The site has a wooden roof with beams and a fascinating mural featuring a train, a ship, some angels, birds, flowers and a large clock. The builders told our guide that this mural is over 100 years old, but I presume it will be painted over eventually – what a shame.

Another intriguing aspect of the architecture here is that some of the houses feature painted faces of men and women on the top of doors and windows. I guess they represented the faces of the original owners, and since the houses have no house numbers, these faces were probably used as identity codes for visitors or postal workers.

Bizarrely, although there are rows of abandoned havelis, there are also a few streets of ‘modern’ buildings as we walked further inwards. These modern houses seem to be occupied and the streets are slightly livelier in this quarter.

I was speechless and sad when we left this village. I wished that there was something I could do to save this place, but there was nothing I could do except write about it. Even our guide has tried to persuade the villagers to sell or let or restore the houses, but failed.

I sincerely hope that one day this village would be preserved and restored before it is too late.

Shaam E Sarhad village resort & Hodka village visit

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Toothpicker

Unexpectedly, on the edge of the desert region lies a wonderful eco-friendly and rustic village resort owned and run by the Village Tourism Committee of Hodka village. The village is believed to have been set up by the ‘Halepotra’ clan from Sindh (now Pakistan) who were cattle herders and eventually settled in the grasslands of Banni. The name ‘Shaam E Sarhad‘ means ‘sunset on the border’. There are a number of Bhungas, tents, and family cottages that are crafted with indigenous resources based on traditional architecture and design.

Bhungas are circular mud huts made of water and cow dung. The huts have sloping roofs that are typical of the Banni region. They are made of grass thatch which is an indigenous invention that tackles the extreme climate. The Bhungas keep cool during the hot Kutch summers and warm in the cold desert winters.

We did not stay at this resort, but we came here for lunch during our day excursion in the area. I fell in love with this resort as soon I stepped in. I particularly love all the colourful textiles covering the ceiling of the communal/dining area. Bold indigenous patterns can be seen on walls and mirror work is also incorporated in the design. I would love to stay here next time if I get to return to the region again.

We enjoyed a leisurely vegetarian lunch before heading off to the nearby village for a visit. We were told that the village is not a ‘tourist’ village where all the tourists flock to, but rather an authentic and hospitable one where it receives few foreign visitors.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by some villagers and were then led into the village. The village has a number of round and rectangular bhungas, while sheep, cattle, goats and horses can be seen around the village.

Since it was the first time for me to visit a tribal village in India, I had no idea what to expect. I have had negative experiences before in other countries where locals kept asking for money when we visited local villages, so I became slightly weary when I arrived. Yet the hospitality and warmth we received from the villagers truly blew me away. No one asked for money, and the villagers seemed genuinely happy to see us. All of them, including the children, looked content and at ease.

They were also eager to show-off their traditional embroidery work which features small mirrors. These mirrors are adorned on women’s costumes and sarees so that they can be spotted in the desert when they reflect in the sun. I was fascinated by their colourful outfits, which are conspicuous against the dry landscape and bhungas.

Most of the men in the village were out herding, so only women and children were left in the village during our visit. I have travelled extensively over the years, but I have never encountered a nationality that loves being photographed as much as the Indians – honestly, they genuinely love to be photographed and would even pose for you without you telling them to do so. This is ideal for me because I love taking photographs of people. In this village, the children were excited to be photographed and rejoiced when they saw the results.

I asked the locals for permission to look inside the huts, and they did not hesitate to let me in. Aside from vibrant textiles, there are also many colourful wardrobes and cases decorated with motifs, birds and flowers. I felt like I was intruding as when I saw the elderly napping inside the huts, but they didn’t seem to mind me poking my head into their bhungas.

As we were were leaving the village, many of the villagers came to wave us goodbye. The village experience was extremely memorable and heartwarming, and it reminded me how preconception can be quite misleading sometimes. Although daily life in the village is simple and frugal, I felt that the villagers are happier and more generous than many city dwellers in wealthier countries. I am sure we can learn more from them about the wisdom of true happiness than from self-help books bought from Amazon.

Kutch textiles: Vankar Vishram Valji, the Indigo dyer & weaver

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Toothpicker

*Please do not use my blog photos without consent.

One of the most fascinating studio visits in Kutch was a trip to master weaver, Vankar Shamji Vishram‘s indigo-dyeing and weaving studio in a village called Bhujodi. Shamji is the son of Shri Vishram Valji Vankar, who won the India’s prestigious National Award for weaving in 1974. Shamji started weaving under the guidance of his father at the age of 15 and has been running the studio for over 20 years. The Vankar community are renowned for their weaving traditions, and they often collaborate with the Rabari community who are known for their spinning and embroiderery to make beautiful shawls. Now Shamji and his family train and employ around 60 famiies and 90 hand loom weavers in Bhujodi to preserve the traditional craft.

Soon after we arrived at Shamji’s family home/studio, he started to explain to us his organic indigo-dyeing process, and I was pleased to learn that he only uses natural ingredients found locally. The process of indigo dyeing requires warm and stable temperature for fermentation to take place, hence, the underground indigo vats provide the suitable environment for it. Another important ingredient –alkaline– is extracted from cattle’s urine and dung (ammonia), which undoubtedly is abundance in India.

What I like about Shamji‘s studio is that since it is also his family home, so family members and artisans all work on different tasks around the spacious home studio. It has an open and authentic feel to the place, and visitors can wander from one weaving area to another to observe the spinning and weaving process.

Their high quality woven products brought them important clients like Fabindia, Cottage Emporium, and Nalli, as well as specialist shops from overseas. Again, all of us couldn’t resist trying on their beautiful shawls and scarves at prices that are about 1/4 of what you would pay in the U.K.

Before we left, we were greeted by Shamji‘s mother, who kindly allowed us to take photos of her traditional costume and incredible jewellery. We were told that her silver ankle bands weigh about 1 kilo – Imagine trying to run with them on! Amazing.

After visiting several artisans’ studios in Kutch, it made me rethink my shopping habits – buying directly from the artisans completely change my relationship with the products. There are memories and stories behind the products, therefore I am likely to cherish them more than items bought from a highstreet shop. If we all change the way we shop, I believe it would certainly bring about positive changes in the future.

Kutch textiles: Pabiben Rabari, the female tribal entrepreneur

Posted on April 28, 2019 by Toothpicker

In our current fast-paced and globalised world, we are faced with some important questions about our past, present and future: how to preserve traditions and yet make them relevant today? Can we preserve the skills and knowledge but evolve at the same time? Many artisans, craftsmen and designers around the world are trying to find a balance between traditions and innovations. Traditions have to evolve with time, otherwise they would extinct, so we all need to think out of the box when it comes to preservation.

Originally from (possibly) Iran or Afghanistan, the semi-nomadic Rabari community of cattle and camel raisers migrated to Kutch and Rajasthan about 400 years ago. The Rabari women are well-known for their shisha mirror embroidery, which has been passed on for generations. It is customary for young girls to prepare her own dowries, which include the wedding costumes for the bride and groom, hangings for the new home, and trappings for the domestic animals. However, the dowry-making process could take years, and paid for by the groom; as a way of easing the burden for both sides and the delay of marriages, the elderly in the community decided to ban the making and wearing of hand embroidery for personal usage in 1995.

In order to preserve the Rabari embroidery, a group of Rabari women came up with a new solution without breaking the community’s rules: machine application of readymade elements, which they called ‘Hari Jari.’ One woman from the group, Pabiben Rabari, became a master of this art and created her own style using trims and ribbons, which is later known as ‘Pabi Jari’. She applied this technique onto some shopping bags and they became instant hits. Her Pabi bags are loved by celebrities, and were featured in Hollywood and Bollywood films. As the first female entrepreneur from her tribe, Pabiben has become an inspiration to many women in her community. The mission of her enterprise is to develop a strong viable business model for women artisans, and she works with 50 women in Bhadroi village of different ages and skill levels to create fair trade accessories.

We visited Pabiben‘s house and workshop in Bhadroi village one afternoon, and we were greeted by her and a group of Rabari women who kindly demonstrated their superb embroidery skills and showed us some of their samples. It was wonderful to see these women from the same community working together to bring about positive changes to their village while preserving and reviving an ancient art form.

Interestingly, we found out that traditionally Rabari women would be dressed in black clothing with black veils, meanwhile, men would be dressed in white clothing with white turbans. Legend has it that once a Muslim king fell in love with a Rabari girl, but his proposals were denied by the community, so the king grew angry and threatened to kill them all. The Rabaris were forced out of their land in search of a new safe place and were assisted by a Muslim man from the court. Later, the king found out about this and killed the Muslim man. It is believed that it was then that the Rabari women started wearing black to mourn his death.

Pabiben‘s shop/showroom is packed with colourful, bold and one-of-a-kind accessories and bags. Her products are sold at many high-end outlets in India such as the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the Oberoi Hotel and ARTISANS’ in Mumbai, as well as some independent shops overseas. She has also won many awards for her inspiring work and achievement. I think if every tribe in India has a woman like Pabiben in their village, then we are likely to see a very different India in the future.

Kutch textiles: Bandhani & SIDR craft

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Toothpicker

A large bandhani piece we saw at Mr A A Wazir’s house

I think many people are familiar with the term ‘shibori’ which is the Japanese technique of resist dyeing on cloth. The word itself means ‘to wring, squeeze, press’, and it is a way of manipulating the fabric to achieve the desired results. However, this practice is not unqiue to Japan, and countries like China, Indonesia, Korea, and India have their versions too. In India, a tie-dyeing technique is commonly practised by artisans in Kutch, which is called bandhani or banghej. The term bandhani is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘bandh’ which means ‘to bind or to tie’.

Tiny dots are created by tying several points of a thin fabric (cotton or silk) tightly with a thread, which then would be dyed after the design is created. It is a time-consuming process esp. if you have a large piece of cloth or a complex design. This technique is closely associated with the pastoral Khatri community, which migrated from Sindh (now Pakistan) a few centuries ago. The patterns differ vastly between the Muslim Kkatris and the Hindu Khatris. The Muslim artisans prefer to use geometric designs inspired by the cosmos, whereas the Hindu artisans like to use plants, animals and human figures for their patterns. A bandhani sari (often featuring yellow dots on red fabric) is traditionally worn at Gujarati weddnings.

Traditionally, the practice is usually carried out at home by women or young girls, but we visited SIDR craft studio in Bhuj that specialises in this technique founded by two male artisans and brothers, Abduljabbar and Abdullah Khatri.

We were greeted by Abdullah at the studio, and he told us that the studio was established in 1992 in order to continue the family tradition of bandani. The studio received UNESCO Seal of Excellence in 2006 and 2007, and their international clientele continues to grow year on year.

The design process at SIDR craft is overseen by Abduljabbar, who uses traditional motifs and stencils are created to transfer the pattern to fabric: pure silk, cotton and cotton-silk blends. Over 200 independent women artisans in villages in Kutch are employed to tying thousands of tiny knots on the stenciled fabric to create a single scarf or shawl. The natural dyeing process, often is required in successive stages for a single piece, takes place at the studio.

We were all very impressed by the intricate design and painstaking process, and we loved the fact that no two scarves, stoles and shawls are exactly the same. It is also encouraging to learn that the studio is selling to overseas retailers and customers, which demonstrates that one-of-a-kind handcrafted accessories would never go out of fashion, and they have to be preserved for generations to come.

Kutch textiles: embroidery, applique, quilts & patchwork

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Toothpicker

Embroidery plays a eminent role in Kutch textiles, and Gujarat was the world’s centre for commercial embroidery in the 17th century. The area was renowned for its mochi (meaning ‘cobbler’ in Gujarati and Hindi) embroidery maintained by the Mochis, who were originally cobblers but developed their own style of embroidery technique on silk. An ari is a small crochet-hook like awl/needle used to create chain stitches repeatedly. The embroidered motifs were usually flowers, fruits, animals (peacocks are common) and human figures. However, traditional mochi embroidery suffered a demise when the courts, landowners and merchants lost their wealth in the early-mid 20th century, and now you can only find the finest mochi embroidery in the museums/at the homes of some collectors.

Luckily, our guide Salim Wazir is the son of the renowned Kutch textiles expert and collector, Mr A A Wazir, hence we had the opportunity to visit his home and see his stunning collection of more than 3000 pieces colleced over 50 years. Mr Wazir has traveled extensively around India and has collected textiles of different styles and sizes, with many of them featuring fine embroidery. Besides embroidery, he also collected many wonderful appliques and quilts. This place is a must for all textiles lovers and collectors; about half of his textile collection is for sale, and worldwide shipping is available too.

There are numerous embroidery styles in Kutch, but one of the notable style is the Shisha or Abhla bharat embroidery that feature round or other shaped mirrors attached to the fabrics by embroidery. Some tribal communities believe mirrorwork is auspicious as a tool for warding off the evil eye, reflecting bad luck and evil spirits away from the wearer. The main practitioners of this style are the Rabaris, Kanbis, Ahirs, Rajputs and Oswal Banias.

Applique (or Katab) is easier to work than embroidery, and it was introduced from either Europe or Middle East by through trading in the 19th century. Often animals, plants and humans cut-outs are sewn onto a large piece of cloth that are used as wedding canopies. The applique technique is usually practised bt the Kathis and Molesalaam.

Quilts are usually made by older women in the Kutch communities, and they are a favourite wedding gift for newly weds. Sometimes the quilts feature patchwork designs or appliqués or a mix of several techiques on recycled or new fabric, and are considered a sign of a family’s wealth and position in the community.

The day after a fascinating visit to Mr A A Wazir‘s home, we went to the showroom of Qasab, an collective socio-cultural enterprise founded in 1997 to revitalise the embroidery craft of Kutch. It comprises 1,200 rural craftswomen from 11 ethnic communities spread across 62 villages in Kutch. The enterprise is known for its high quality of Kutch embroidery, appliqué and patchwork products that reflect the cultural identity of each community.

There was a long presentation of the textiles practised by the numerous tribal groups in Kutch. One of them is the nomadic Rabari tribe, which moved to the Kutch region in the 13th century. When the tribal elders banned the elaborate embroidery work made by women 15 years ago. Qasab has since been in dialogues with the community elders to give opportunities to the Rabari women to collaborate with designers to apply their appliqué skills and earn an income to support themselves.

The next post will be about a Rabari village woman who became an award-winning female entrepreneur loved by the celebrities in Bollywood…

Kutch textiles: Ajrakh & blockprinting in Ajrakhpur

Posted on April 20, 2019 by Toothpicker

Ajrakhpur – the land of Ajrakh

Before my trip to India, my knowledge on Indian textiles was minimal, yet the textiles workshop at Somaiya Kala Vidya (see my earlier post) completely opened my eyes. I did not realise that block printing is such a complex and time-consuming process, especially when only natural dyes are used. The ajrakh printing techique is an ancient craft with a history of over 4000 years, and it is believed to be originated from Sindh along the Indus River (now Pakistan). Since it uses natural dyes only, the process would require weeks of work which includes multiple times of dyeing and washing. Sadly, the introduction of chemical dyes from the West led to the decline of this ancient craft at the end of the nineteenth century.

In recent years, the revival of ajrakh printing has been credited to a 10th generation master craftsman, Dr. Ismail Mohammed Khatri. Originally from Dhamadka (about 50 km east of Bhuj), a famous ajrakh village where artisans of the Khatri community resided, Dr. Ismail Khatri and many of the artisans had to leave their ancestral homes and relocate to Ajrakhpur, 15 km SE of Bhuj. The reason for this migration was due to the the drying up of the river caused by the earthquake in 2001 (since water is an essential element of this craft).

With the help of the Maiwa Foundation from Canada, and orders from India’s most renowned ethnic collection studio, Fab India, Dr. Ismail Khatri‘s workshop started to thrive after the resettlement. Not only he was awarded an honorary doctorate from De Montfort University in Leicester in 2003, he also won the UNESCO Award Seal of Excellence for handicrafts in 2008 and 2012 for his dedication to this craft. Now he still runs the studio with his two sons, Sufiyan and Juned.

Now the Ajrakh Studio has become a popular destination for foreigners who are interested in ajrakh and Kutch textiles. The new spacious studio, designed by Indigo Architects, opened in 2017 and has a retail shop and a hall where visitors can view a film on the ajrakh craft.

We met Juned and he led us to the printing workshop and explained the process involved in ajrakh printing. The un-dyed fabric is first cut into 9 meter lengths, then washed to remove starches, wax and impurities, followed by dyeing it with myrobalan. A wooden block hand-carved with traditional designs is seleced, coated in lime and Acacia gum (as a resist) and pressed onto the cloth at regular intervals. The artisans continue the process with different blocks and coating them in dyes, aligning them with previous prints, then pressing them onto the fabric. After each colour of print, artisans have to rinse and sun-dry the cloth. This process would be repeated with each layer of colour, hence it is extremely arduous and time-consuming.

Ajrakh is traditionally worn by the pastoral Maldhari (meaning herdsman in English) community. Apart from pagdis and lungis, it is also used as bed covers and wedding costumes etc. Traditionally, the colours and motifs symbolise nature with symmetrical designs. Indigo blue (from the indigo leaves) and crimson red (from alizarin found in the roots of madder) are the two most predominate colours for ajrakh.

Before visiting Ajrakhpur, I told Judy Frater about our itinerary, and she suggested that I pay a visit to the studio of my ajrakh instructor Khalid as he is also located within the village. With limited time, I dashed off from the Ajrakh studio and headed towards Khalid‘s studio (his big signage was useful), which turns out to be only 5 minutes away.

Although Khalid‘s studio is much smaller than the Ajrakh studio, there were still at least 5 employees (including his son) printing and dyeing during my visit. I also met a friendly young textiles student who is working with Khalid on her graduation pieces.

Khalid spent 10 years learning his printing skills from his father, and he only went to study at Somaiya Kala Vidya after his son had done a course there. The course helped him to break away from the traditions and explore new ideas and techniques. Since I learned the basics of ajrakh printing from Khalid at the workshop, I know how talented he is and I wanted to support him somehow. The result was a shopping spree at his studio/shop, where I bought a few scarves and shawls for myself and my family. One of them is a combination of ajrakh print and bandhani (done by his wife), which I particularly like. He also offered to customise the fringes/tassels for me, and the finished scarves were delivered to my hotel by the kind textiles student 2 days later. The prices of his scarves are not only reasonable, they are also unqiue and more contemporary. You can check out his instagram account @ashk_by_khalid to see more of his works.

Khalid Usman Khatri’s studio

After we left Ajrakhpur, we headed to the nearby Living and learning design centre, a textiles and craft museum run by the Shrujan Trust that aims to preserve, revitalise and promote the craft heritage of Kutch. Upon arrival, I was very pleasantly surprised by the beautiful and Mexican/Pueblo Revival style contemporary architecture and lush gardens. Opened in 2016, the complex took about 5 years to build and comprises a museum with three galleries, an auditorium, a library, an outdoor cafe, a shop and three crafts studios for practitioners. Again, the architects behind this project was Indigo architects, whose chief architect Mausami had received her MA in architecture from University of New Mexico, hence both the Ajrakh studio and LLDC have a strong Mexican/Santa Fe influence.

Strangely, the vast complex was very quiet during our visit and we hardly saw any other visitors. If this museum was situated in London or New York, it would be jam-packed with tourists. And I think this museum deserves to be visited by more tourists because of its excellent contents. You really need a few hours to go through the exhibits as they cover all the textiles styles, techniques and fashion from different tribes within Kutch; you can even find out how to tie a turban in different ways. If you want to learn more about Kutch textiles, then this place is a good starting point. Photography is forbidden inside the upper galleries, but it is allowed in the lower gallery where there are paintings and textiles on display.

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Category Archives: Indian design