In June 2010, a few months prior to The Color Caravan's formal launch, I travelled to a small village called Ajrakhpur in Kutch, Gujarat. I was introduced to Ajrakh - a unique technique in handblock printing by my friend Stina Gardek, a textile designer from Sweden who was then a visiting faculty at Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya. Stina introduced me to Sufiyan Khatri, son of master craftsman Dr Ismail Mohammad Khatri, who invited us to his home for a delicious lunch, followed by a visit to his workshop where he told us about his family’s history and walked us through the process of Ajrakh printing.
Sufiyan told us the meaning of Ajrakh; it is loosely translated into “aaj rakh” which means “to keep it today”. These simple words are so evocative of this idea of patience that is really necessary for the survival of this art form. The process is complex as it may involve anywhere from 14-16 steps, depending upon how many colors and layers of block print are desired. The art uses natural dyes that include a mixture of camel dung, soda ash and castor oil, waste iron, myrobalan, madder, indigo, pomegranate peel boiled in water, the root of rhubarb and sprays of turmeric water.
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| Sufiyan Ismail Khatri |
Sufiyan's roots can be traced back to the medieval times (circa 17th century) when his ancestors coming from Sindh settled in Kutch. He easily recounted nine generations of his forefathers ever since they settled in Kutch. The then emperor, Raja Rao Bharmal I invited these people to settle themselves in the village of Dhamadka so that these printed fabric could be provided to the royal family exclusively. This really helped the community because of the proximity of the Saran river to this village; water is an essential ingredient of the Ajrakh process because it constitutes an important part of the natural dyeing process thereby cutting down on many expenses that the community might have otherwise incurred.
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| Gum |
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| Indigo dye |
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| The indigo plant from which the indigo dye is extracted |
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| Blocks for printing |
The Khatris have been a trading community and they thrived because of the traditional market of the olden times. The Kutch traditional markets included the Malir, Sirakh and Ajrakh forms of printing which were worn by the men and women of the Sindhi and Jat communities. These prints and patterns were an important attire of the Sindhi and Jat cattle herders who wore them as turbans and other clothes of various patterned designs. The proximity of the market and the Saran river were the essential reasons that made the Khatri community settle in Dhamadka, apart from the easy availability of the natural dye ingredients.
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| Printing in progress |
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| The process is complex as it may involve up to 16 steps, depending upon how many colors and layers of block print are desired. |
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| A stunning Ajrakh stole |
Around 1950-60s, the making of natural dues was stopped for about 15 years due to the easy availability of chemical dyes that infiltrated the markets. This meant that many of the local artisans shifted to chemical dyes over natural dyes. Sufiyan’s grandfather, Mohammad Siddique Khatri was also one of the artisans who shifted to chemical dyes, but wanted at the same time to keep hold of the tradition that had helped the community survive for so long. This meant that he ensured that his three sons, of whom one was Dr. ismail Khatri, learnt the traditional method of using natural dyes in Ajrakh printing by telling them the nuances of natural dye printing and then elaborating the process on small pieces of cloth.
Sufiyan’s grandfather used to sell clothes in the local market and that is how his family’s luck changed. Once while transporting his products to the markets, he was stopped by a police superintendent and was asked to show what he was carrying. What was going to be a harrowing experience changed his luck entirely. The police superintendent was so impressed by Mohammad Khatri’s work that he visited them and seeing the naturally dyed cloth, ended up ordering many of them while referring the Khatri’s art to many of his friends. This spiked interest in the art so much that Sufiyan’s grandfather restored the vegetable dyes in the resist printing process. This lead to an even more exciting venture where the family was introduced around 1975 to Mr. Bhasin, who was the director of Gurjari (Gujarat State Handicraft Development Coperation Limited). When Mr. Bhasin saw the natural dyeing process, he was impressed. But he wanted them to excel at their work, so he collaborated with people of National Institute of Design and sent two designers to their village. They stayed for a little over a week with the family to teach them color combination and improving on the overall layout of the patterns. This mutual appreciation helped Ajrakh printing so much so that they ventured out to the national markets. They reached to markets in Ahmedabad to Delhi and Bombay, ultimately finding appreciation in the global markets ever since.
After the devastating earthquake in 2001, many Ajrakh block-printing artisans in their native village Dhamadka had their homes and workshops destroyed.The earthquake not only affected buildings, but affected the mineral content of the river Saran. This change affected the way the fabric absorbs the dye through this traditional process. That's when Dr Ismail Khatri decided to move his base. He came forward to establish a block printing settlement, a tiny village named 'Ajrakhpur' in Kutch and the artists relocated to Ajrakhpur which has suitable water. This small village is an example of rebuilding lives from scratch.
Sufiyan credits his grandfather and father as the men who inspired him to take up his family’s tradition. But he’s greatly indebted to his father who over these years has gained recognition in the world of handicrafts. Dr. Ismail Khatri has so vociferously stood by his family’s craft tradition that he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Leicester de Montfort.
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'The' Dr Ismail Mohammad Khatri
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Sufiyan had a story up his sleeves regarding this too. He told us that when his father gave his first lecture in broken English at the university, people were amazed by his history, which made them proclaim that he would be awarded the doctorate
for his achievements. His father who didn’t know what it meant, asked them what a doctorate was? They explained that it was the highest degree awarded for excellence in a particular field of study which prompted another question from Dr. Khatri on why was he being considered given that he hadn't studied at all. They smiled and told him that he was the reason that many of their students had got their doctorates in the research of Ajrakh block printing methods; that he was a Master of his Arts that had prompted the university to consider Dr. Ismail Khatri for such an honor. Dr. Ismail Khatri also holds a National Merit Certificate for his contributions to the field of Indian handicrafts.
Sufiyan also told us a little more about his connection to the Ajrakh printing process. He said it has been sixteen years since he was first introduced to the craft form. One of the biggest reasons that he has continued in the family tradition is because he never saw it as a business process. He was rather enticed by the colors and the patterns when he first took it up as a hobby. From gaining recognition in the traditional markets to being earmarked by many Indian designers like Tarun Tahiliani, Sabyasachi, Anita Dongre; Sufiyan has seen it all. But he prizes his UNESCO Award that he received in 2008 as one tenderest to his heart. He just wants his craft to do well in a time of extreme competitive markets where many replicas of the Ajrakh print have infiltrated the markets. And with the labour costs increasing and the water resources depleting in their village, he seriously fears for his craft. Probably that is why he wants to impart knowledge of this dying art to as many people as possible.
He coyly told us that over the years, he has travelled to a few countries to demonstrate the Ajrakh printing process some of which include Germany, Austria, and Switzerland although he prefers to show them the natural dyeing process back at his village. He told us that over the past few decades he has seen many art enthusiasts visit the village to know about the intricacies of Ajrakh resist printing method on sarees, stoles, dupattas, lungis, and even on suits.
Sufiyan's says that true art can only be recognized when it is both seen by the eyes and felt by the hands because these are the two senses that an artisan invests in the most when he creates a piece of art. And these words really do ring true when cheaper replicas are thriving in the markets.
The Color Caravan is extremely lucky to be working with great craftsmen like Dr Ismail Mohammad Khatri & Sufiyan Ismail Khatri.
To check some of the their creations available on The Color Caravan store, click here.
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