Ajrak Print

Ajrak Print

1. Ajrak

2. The traditional block-printing technique of Ajrakh (double sided print) has attained a peak of excellence at Ballotra. One of the main reasons for this is the good waters available here which is so important for hand-block printing. The reverse side is block-printed even as the other side is wet as otherwise the designs would be different. The hand-block printed fabric from Ballotra is therefore very exclusive and relatively expensive.

3. Ajrak Ajrakh is one of the oldest types of block printing on textiles still practised in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India, and in Sindh in Pakistan. Textiles printed in this style are hand-printed using natural dyes on both sides by a laborious and long process of resist printing (a method of printing in which designated areas in the pattern are pre-treated to resist penetration by the dye).

4. The bust of the king priest dating 2,500-1,500 BC excavated at the site of the ancient town of Mohenjo-daro is deemed by many to depict the earliest possible use of an ajrak .

5. Early human settlements in the region which is now the province Sindh in Pakistan along the Indus River had found a way of cultivating and using Gossypium arboreum commonly known as tree cotton to make clothes for themselves. These civilizations are thought to have mastered the art of making cotton fabrics as early as 3000 BC . A bust of a king priest excavated at Mohenjo-daro shows him draped over one shoulder in a piece of cloth that resembles an ajrak.

6. Excavations elsewhere in the Old World around Mesopotamia have yielded similar patterns appearing on various objects most notably on the royal couch of Tutankhamen . This symbol illustrates what is now believed to be an edifice depicting the fusion of the three sun-disks of the gods of the sun, water and the earth. Reminiscent geometry of the trefoil is evident on most of the recent ajrak prints.

7. The level of geometry on the garment comes from the usage of a method of printing called the woodblock printing in which prints were transferred from geometric shapes etched on the wooden blocks by pressing them hard on the fabric. Block printing is thought to have been first used in ancient China , at least as far as moveable type is concerned. On its way through the populous regions of the Indus Valley, this technique of fabric printing was adopted at Mohenjo-daro.

8. The tradition still prevails centuries later, and people still use the same methods of production that were used in the earlier days to create an ajrak. The garment has become an essential part of the Sindhi culture and apparel of Sindhis

9. . Men use it as a turban, a cummerbund or wind it around their shoulders or simply drape it over one shoulder. Women use it as a dupatta or a shawl and sometimes as a makeshift swing for children

10. Traditional Ajrak Prints of Rajasthan Ajrak Process- The basic Difference is that the white process is a very fine Dabu as compared to the processes mentioned earlier   1. Desizing - It is done as explained in the Dabu Process.

12. 2. Myrobalan Process- Myrobalan is applied in the same manner as explained in the Dabu Process.   3. White Process:  In this the outline is done with a paste of (Chuna+Babool Gum+Dhawai Gum+water)

13. Black Process: In the process the fabric is Printed with ( Ferrous Sulphate + Tamarind Seed + Lemon extractBlack Process: In the process the fabric is Printed with ( Ferrous Sulphate + Tamarind Seed + Lemon extract) Black Process: In the process the fabric is Printed with ( Ferrous Sulphate + Tamarind Seed + Lemon extract)

14. Red Process: In this process the fabric is printd with Local (Chikni Mitti)+ Alum( If more, the color is darker, if you want blacker tone, add more hara kashish)+ Dhawai Gum+ Alum. On it Dried Gobar is sprinkled so as to avoid smearing.

15. Red Process: In this process the fabric is printd with Local (Chikni Mitti)+ Alum( If more, the color is darker, if you want blacker tone, add more hara kashish)+ Dhawai Gum+ Alum. On it Dried Gobar is sprinkled so as to avoid smearing.  

16. Then it is kept for 1 day in Sunlight. Then it is folded and kept for four more days , so as to ensure Rachna. After that it is dipped in Indigo To prepare Indigo solution, hot water is taken. Indigo powder is dipped and “ghonto” to make a paste then caustic(Sodium Hydroxide) is dissolved in it. Then one piece (dali) of Choona is added. Then hydro (Sodium Hydrosulphide) is added. It will then turn into golden color. It is then put in Matka. The fabric after dipping in indigo will look something like this:

17. When there is no Red ( Only Indigo, Black and White is there – Indigo background, Black and white foreground), the following Sequence is followed:   Wash-->Dipped in Myrobalan-->White Process-->Black Process-->Dipped in Indigo-->Boiled only in Dhauri Flowers to Open Black and to make the white become yellow-->Washing and ready

18. After dipping it is washed 20 times in “Narkasar Taalaab” All Dabu will be clean and outline becomes white Then it is boiled in Alizarin ( Alizarin + Dawdi Flowers). The alum process will become red Then it is washed and dried. To get a green color it is treated with Haldi and Anaar ka Chilka. Then it is dipped in Alum Then Full washing is done.

19. When you want to decrease the Yellowness, a small bleaching powder is added   To get Red Background, white and Black Motif, the following sequence is followed:   Wash-->Myrobalan Dip-->White Process-->Black Process-->Dipped in Alum ( White Alum Dip  Brown, Black Alum Dip  Red, One can get a combination of these to get colors from maroon to rust)-->Boil in Alizarin-->Washed and Dried   To get the green color in the motif, Haldi is mixed with Dabu and rest of the process is the same.

20. Orange Back ground, white and red motif In this process, the motif is done with Black fitkari and the background orange color is obtained with white fitkari

21. Alternative Process of Ajrak   1.       The greige fabric is dipped in NaOH and boiled for desizing.   2.       It is then treated with castor oil mixed with soda ash. For 3-4 days   3.       Outline is done with Choona+ Babool Gum+ Dhauri Gum + Multani Mitti  

22. 4.       The Black Process is done with the water of iron+ Tamarind Seed Power+ Baajre Ka aata   5.       Red Process is done with Fitkari+ Multani Mitti+ Choona + Dhauri Gum. Dried cow dung is sprinkled over it and kept by reverse folding it for 4 days   6.       It is then dipped in Indigo with Chuna + Jaggery+ Soda Ash

23. 7.       The it is washed thoroughly so as to remove all the Dabu.   8.       It is then boiled with Alizarin + Flower of Dhaudi + Sakur   9.       If green then it is treated with Haldi + Anaar ka Chilka for 12-14 days. It will make Indigo green, the red and black will remain as it is. The white process ( Dabu ) becomes yellower.   10.   To get maroon on the background- Alum + Tamarind Seed powder is made in the paste and applied as a pocha. After that it is treated with Alizarin.  

24. Ajrakh printed cloth is one of the softest textiles to wear against the skin, as it's fibres soften during the rigourous process of printing. In Sindh, it is used as swaddling cloth for new borns. Other than its comfort, it also has a lot of aesthetic appeal since its vegetable colours are almost glowing and jewel like.

25. It is important to sustain crafts like Ajrakh by developing their market, as they are slowly dying out. This ancient and time consuming craft involves so much labour with such low profit margins that the younger generation of Ajrakh printers is now seeking more lucrative work with short-term gains. Many are also taking short cuts by reducing the number of essential stages in the making of Ajrakh; others have simply switched to printing cheap silk-screen version

26. Cultural Significance of Ajrakh The people of Sindh have a deep reverence for Ajrakh. From birth to marriage, until death, Ajrakh celebrates all significant events of the life cycle. Ajrakh is worn as a turban, a shawl, spread as a bed-sheet or tablecloth and when worn out, it is recycled as a

27. hammock for babies, cover for a bullock cart and most commonly used as a backing to patchwork quilts. It is used and reused till threadbare. It is worn by the wealthy as well as the poor — the colours, patterns and design-format remain the same, only the quality of the fabric is different.

28. Laborious Craft The process by which the fabric is made is considered intuitive to Ajrakh makers. Ajrakh literally meant aaj ke din rakh , or 'keep it for today' because that is what the process is. At every stage of the tedious dying process, the fabric should dry for three to four days. Nature plays an important role in the making of Ajrakh. Craftsmen work in total harmony with their environment, where the sun, river, animals, trees and mud are all part of its making.

29. First, cloth is torn into sheets and taken to the river to be washed. These are steamed in copper vats for one night and a day to open the pores of the cloth and soften it. This process is called khumbh in Sindh. Next, the fabric is soaked in a mixture of camel dung, seed oil and water. The dung enables the cloth to become softer and acts as a bleaching agent. This stage is very crucial in determining the quality of an Ajrakh. The wet cloth is then tied into an airtight bundle and kept for five to 10 days, depending upon the weather. A distinct smell of mango pickle emanating from the bundle confirms that the fibres have been well soaked with oil. This is called the saaj .

30. The cloth is then sun-dried and soaked in oil that has been curdled with carbonate of soda. After a day, the cloth is washed and re-soaked in a home-made mixture of dried lemons, molasses, castor oil and water, amongst other things. Now, finally, the cloth is ready for printing. Using the outline block, the printer dips his block in kiryana (a resist made with rice paste, Acacia gum and lime) to print on both sides of the cloth. The printed pattern remains white. The black areas are stamped on the cloth with a filler-block.

31. For the next stage, gum is mixed with rice paste, alum , molasses , fennel , Fuller’s earth and other herbs to form the mud resist-paste, called the kharrh , which is printed on the areas that are to be protected against indigo dye, that is, the areas meant to be white, black and red. The cloth goes through the first indigo dye. It is soaked in water for at least an hour. To a rhythmic count, craftsmen swish and thrash the Ajrakhs in water for an hour or more until the gum and the excess dye have been washed off and the white areas become clear. This stage is called vicharrh . In a large copper vat, the Ajrakhs are dyed with madder ( Rubia Cordifolia ).

32. On the riverbank or near a tank, the red Ajrakhs are spread out to partially dry in the sun. These are wet again before they have completely dried. This alternate drying and drenching bleaches the white areas and deepens other colours. The mud resist mixture is again printed to cover the red areas and immediately sprinkled with the sifted, dried cow dung to dry the wet areas, called meena . The thick, mud-encrusted cloth is folded and slowly lowered into the indigo vat for the second time. The Ajrakhs are dried, rolled into a bundle and then taken to the river for the final wash. The craftsmen fold the Ajrakhs while still damp and the weight presses them as they become dry.

33. Ajrakh Blocks These are hand carved from the wood of Acacia Arabica trees. Several different blocks are used to give the characteristic repeated patterning. Making the blocks is a considerable challenge since the pattern has to synchronize perfectly with the whole of the Ajrakh as well as cover various areas against dye. Block makers (or poregars ) use the simplest of tools, and carve each block that can register an exact inverted image on the other side.

34. Maintaining Ajrakh printed textiles Ajrakh prints require some extra care while washing, like most Indian block printed fabrics. Here are some tips -- Wash in cold water. If hand washing is not possible, wash the textile in the gentlest possible cycle of your washing machine. Wash with like colours. In order to maintain the colour of the textile, add a handful of salt to the first rinse. Do not use fabric softeners or dryer sheets -- these could coat the fabric with a whitish residue that would dull the luminosity of the dyes.

35. Visuals of ajrak print

36. Ajrak print accessory

37. Thank you