Un-Dyeing Efforts To Save The Nature

The dying art of hand printing is thriving in India because of a handful of brands. A Das finds out.

- A Das

Application of natural dyes on textile is as old as time. In fact, it existed in ancient India prior to 5,000 BC. While certain sources indicate that handblock-printed fabrics existed in India at the time of Alexander’s invasion in 327 BC, it is believed that up to the 14th century, mainly natural dyes were used for dyeing and painting on fabrics.

Printed fabrics gained popularity much later. Mughal rulers, especially Akbar, encouraged the craft of block-printing in India to complement the production of hand-painted fabric. Jodha Bai, Noor Jahan, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan played a very important role in development of handblock printing in India. They developed new motifs (referred to as Mughal motifs) inspired by the flowers of Kashmir. Most of these motifs are still popular in block printing. Incidentally, block prints are a rarity at present. Just a handful of brands and organisations are striving hard to keep this ancient art alive. Apart from block prints, many brands are striving to adapt to hand screen printing using 100% natural dyes.

NATURALLY PASSIONATE

Hemant Sethia of Jai Texart began his journey in 2001, and is determined to maintain the integrity of this art. “We firmly believe that by adopting modern management and marketing practices, any handcraft can be made economically viable, without Government’s interventions, or resorting to corruption of the craft as has become fairly common nowadays. Our belief was right. We have built a sustainable yarn to fashion value chain which also assures the economic wellness of the craftspeople involved.”