To Dye? Or Not to Dye,

That is the question. Janice Goveas explores the past, present and potential future of the dyeing industry in India and its impact on textile, across the country.

HISTORY OF DYEING IN INDIA

The first foreign merchants to come to India were attracted to India's cotton. Cotton cultivation may have started in India, but it spread over a wide geographical region. With cotton, the problem of dyeing involves bonding the dye to the fibre. To absorb the dye, fibres must be treated with a variety of substances, so that the desired colour ingredients can penetrate the fibre and become permanently insoluble. Treatment of a fabric before it is dyed is known as mordanting. Indian mastery over this process gave the country’s finished cotton products a superiority in the trade. Gujarat, Masulipatnam, Kalahasti, Pulicat and the Tanjore region on the Coromandel coast were some of the prime mordanting centres where artisans perfected various techniques of decorative patterns on cotton, using vegetable colours. Gujarati cottons were sold mostly in African and Persian Gulf ports and in Indonesia, while prime outlets for the southern cottons were Malaysia,

IS THE DYE SECTOR DECLINING?

Dyeing forms a key chemical industry in India and the second-largest segment for exports. Today, Maharashtra and Gujarat form 90 per cent of the production in India—this is primarily due to the availability of raw materials and a focus on the textile industry. Economic slowdown along with Chinese dumping took a toll on several units in Gujarat. Coupled with the moratorium imposed by the Union environment ministry and the escalation in production costs, the industry showed a growth of eight to 10 per cent, last fiscal. The international market, too, became stagnant. The demand from Europe, South America, Egypt and Sri Lanka has fallen.