Ajrakh

Today, I will share another of my journal entries from India. I just arrived in
Gujarat, the Indian state known for its villages which produce some of the most
fabulous fabric art on earth. The textiles in this region are some of the finest and
rarest in the world. In fact, some that I will be telling you about are being
practiced ONLY by one or two remaining families. As unbelievable as that may
sound, you would think there would be one tour bus after another….but actually,
there are not many tourists that come this way. India is so vast that most
tourists hit the famous hotspots and pass up visits to areas like Kutch, which is a
district within Gujarat and actually the largest district in all of India. On January
26, 2001 a devastating earthquake struck this entire region killing 70-80,000.
Most of the original mud huts in which the villages live—the predominate
structure in this remote area–were destroyed and had to be rebuilt. I want to tell
you about Ajrakh, a form of resistant dye printing. The village where I learned of
it is by the same name—Ajrakh. The Ismail family there—again the ONLY family
remaining that is keeping their age-old craft alive—explained how Ajrakh is the
highest form of block printing on earth. A plain fabric is stretched out on a
massive table and pinned in place. Then one of the family artists uses unique
(specific to that family) hand-carved wooden blocks that are dipped in natural,
organic dyes and pressed again and again against the fabric. It all happens in a
steady rhythm. It is apparent when the artist never misses a beat, that he truly is
a master craftsman. Then the printing, using the same block, is precisely
duplicated on the other side of the fabric so that when held to the light, the hand-
applied prints are in perfect alignment front and back. Unbelievable!
Considering that these fabrics are 20-30 feet long, it is impossible to see even the
slightest imperfection. Then the fabric is put out into the sun to dry before the
next block pattern is applied over the first in a different color. Twenty to thirty
different applications are put on the cotton or silk fabric over more than a two
week period. Stunning shades of indigo and gold and green and red all work
side-by-side to produce a single work of textile art. After the earthquake, the
Ismail family had to relocate and start over again. This dear family also tragically
lost a 17-year-old daughter and their grandmother to that disaster. What a
fantastic art form and what a wonderful and dedicated family!