33
Living the Legacy
Born on 1st January 1967 in Bagh in the
Dhar district of western Madhya Pradesh,
our father grew up in a natural environment
and a milieu of creativity. Bagh, a small tribal
town, is located by the Bagh River that has
nurtured our craft as flowing water is crucial
for block-printing. Our village is also famous
for the ancient Bagh Caves that are a group
of Buddhist rock-cut caves decorated with
mural paintings dated to the third and the fifth
century AD, and the ancient temple dedicated
to Bagheshwari Devi to appease the large tiger
population in the area.
As per local belief, the Khatri community
of traditional block printers migrated from
Larkana in Sindh in present-day Pakistan to
Bagh about 400 years ago. Our forefathers
were block printers, and our family’s link with
the craft goes back to the seventh century AD.
In earlier years, our family would design and
create traditional hand-block printed attire
for different castes living in the tribal area of
Bagh. Members of different castes and families
traditionally wore distinct block printed attire
which helped identify them instantly on being
seen. The demand for these textiles kept the
craft alive in Bagh.
For their beauty and uniqueness, Bagh Prints is
listed as geographically tagged and is protected
under the Geographical Indications of Goods
(Registration & Protection) Act (GI Act) 1999
of the Government of India. It was registered
by the Controller General of Patents, Designs
and Trademarks under the title “Bagh Prints of
Madhya Pradesh” and recorded with (GI) tag
under Application number 98 in 2008.
