Ajrakh Print: The Ancient Beauty

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AJRAKH PRINT THE ANCIENT BEAUTY
The historical province of Sindh in Pakistan and
the nearby Indian regions of Kutch in Gujarat
and Barmer in Rajasthan are where the ancient
block-printing technique known as ajrakh, which
is used to decorate textiles, began. Several
various ideas are implied by the term "ajrakh,"
itself. Some claim that it originates from the
Arabic term ajrakh, which signifies blue and is
one of the main colours used in ajrakh printing.
According to some historians, the word was
created from the Hindi phrase aaj rakh, which
means to maintain it now. Others claim it refers
to creating beauty. Ajrakh printing has its
origins in the Indus Valley Civilization, which
flourished approximately 3000 BC, and although
it is a part of Sindh culture, its roots also
reach Rajasthan and Gujarat in India. The Indus
River was a valuable resource for washing
clothing and sustaining the abundance of cotton
and indigo dye that could be found there. Due to
the movement of Khatris from Sindh province to
Kutch area, ajrakh printing flourished in India
around the 16th century. Indirectly encouraging
the
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migration of Khatris to Kutch's desolate
territories, the monarch of Kutch recognised and
appreciated the textile craft. A few Khatri
printing families eventually went to Rajasthan,
settled in and around the Barmer district of
British India, including modern-day Gujarat, and
became masters in the skill of ajrakh printing.
In the villages of Ajrakhpur in Kutch and also
Barmer, the Khatri clan is currently focused on
creating consistently high-quality jrakh printed
cloth. Gypsy, Jat, and Meghwal men typically wear
ajrakh. Safa, a shoulder covering, and lungis
are worn by the males. The Ekpuri Ajra Kh is worn
by those with lesser earnings. As a status
symbol, this is more expensive. The colours and
motifs used in ajrakh printing honour nature. It
takes several stages of printing and numerous
washes of the cloth with various natural dyes
and mordants to complete the laborious and
drawn-out ajrakh printing process. Resist
printing is a technique used to prevent dye from
absorbing in regions that are not intended to be
coloured while allowing dye to absorb where it
is needed. The next resist printing will be done
using a paste made from a combination of clay,
alum, and gum Arabic. Sawdust or finely crushed
cow dung is applied to the printed area to
protect it from smearing the clay. To completely
remove the excess dye and resist print, the
fabric is properly rinsed. The fabric is boiled
with an alternative dye to produce new
colours. In the process of printing ajrakh, water
is important. The key element that decides the
final product's quality is the amount of iron in
the water. The cloth is treated by artisans with
mordants, dyes, oils, etc. Water has an affect on
everything, including the colours' tones and
hues as well as the process' overall success or
failure. Craftspeople in Ajrakh now deal with a
variety of issues that make their job difficult.
Because one wooden block can cost up to Rs 3,000,
the high cost of wooden blocks used in Ajrakh
printing places a heavy financial strain on
artists. The centuries-old traditions of this
textile craft are under danger due to the use of
modern machines, eco-friendly colours, and
synthetic dyes. Lack of new craftspeople because
to poor payoff and high labour demand. The
ancient skill of ajrakh has endured through
natural catastrophes, industrialization, and
shifting political regimes. A lot of NGOs are
presently working to improve this skill by
giving the artisans new materials. For western
markets, artisans are reviving the traditional
use of natural colours. The government, NGOs,
and others committed to this art should step up
and come up with strategies to protect the
interests of craftspeople.