The Hues and Colours of Kutch

Gujarat holds pride in woman-based handwork that is recognized for its elegance, delicacy, and splendour universally. At least, one thing of embroidery is certainly found in every Indian household. The ethnicity of Gujarat is reflected by the varieties of patchwork, a kind of needlework.

This notable textile handicraft is needlecraft or embroidery, a primary source of existence for the majority of artisans. The rich and diverse artistic ethnicities live at the intersection of cultures and communities. While having shared borders with Sindh and Rajasthan, it has constantly been absorbing cultures from the north, west, and east.

While there is a wide range of textiles and Crafts Kutch produces, Ajrakh, Patola, Rogan Art, Wooden Cravings, Knife Work, Bela Printing, Batik Printing have gained popularity over time.

Ajrakh has been a time-honored emblem for the locals. Artisans believes Ajrakh means “keep it today”. However, it is alleged to have related to the Arabic word for indigo, a blue plant that thrived in the region. Nomadics like the Rabaris, Maldharis, and Ahirs wear the cloth as turbans, lungis, or stoles. The designs and motifs echo the architectural forms of Islamic architecture’s complex jali windows and trefoil curves.

Bela prints are bold and graphic. They grab your attention with a vibrant palette of printed color on a plain white background. Diverse hues are achieved using natural and vegetable dyes. Kutch for a long time has been a major producer district of Bela-style cloth. Red and black tints are iconic of these printing, colors that were used on record for their colorfastness.

Bagru habitually features enormous detailed motifs, categorized by a strong penetrating-printing technique wherein the imprinter put on vegetable dye straight to a cloth with a hand woodblock.

Abhala and Ari Bharat are the record variants of Kutch embroidery. The popularity of Gujarati needlework is leveraged in a modern fashion by tribal textile designers. The Kutch embroidery uses the ‘abhala’ or small mirrors in juxtaposition with geometric patterns that give rise to a richly embellished fabric. 

Then, there is Rogan Art, crafted over a painting with thick bright paint made with castor seed oils.  A small amount of paint is set on the palms and is worked carefully into motifs using a metallic stick that not once touch base with the cloth. The artisan then bends his designs into a blank material, thus printing its reflected image. The patterns used to be rustic, and with time the craft has grown conventional and now is almost a high art.

Bollywood has handpicked the best of the native textile industry of Gujarat for its assignments. Films like Hum Dill De Chuke Sanam, KaiPo Che, Ram Leela, etc. are perceived showcasing the textile and crafts such as Bandhani and Dhamadka.