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By creatively printing motifs he ensures a visual
balance between motifs and between motifs
and ground fabric making for an attractive
textile. After the printing is completed, the
cloth is washed in the river and dried in the sun.
After that it is soaked in a special solution of
dhawadi
flower
(Woodfordia fruticosa)
and Alizarin
or madder root or root of
Morinda tinctoria
(any
one of these three ingredients), and boiled in a
copper cauldron for two hours, a process that
enhances the red and black colours making for
eye-catching textiles. Then the textile is finally
ready.
However, if a different colour for the textile is
to be obtained, then after printing, the cloth is
soaked in a solution of natural elements and
washed. For khaki colour the cloth is soaked
in a solution of leaves of
dhawda (Anogeissus
latifolia)
or skin of pomegranate; for blue colour
the cloth is soaked in a solution with the leaves
of the indigo plant; and for ochre colour it
is soaked in a solution of rusted iron filings,
jaggery, lime and wheat flour. This dyeing does
not affect the printed motifs and no chemicals
are used in any part of the process. The work
is completely dependent on natural resources
making these fabrics safe for the skin and body.
Reviving the Art
In the 1980s, when block-printed cloth faced
tough times due to inexpensive printed mill-
made cloth, decrease in demand from tribal
communities and the next generation of
artisans not showing interest in the craft, our
father started training the next generation of
artisans and creating awareness of the craft
through exhibitions in India and abroad. The
valuable encouragement of Mrs Kamaladevi
Chattopadhyay, Mrs Gulshan Nanda and Shri
Martand Singh (Mapu
ji
) offered him much
needed support, and helped save the craft.
