The Magnetism of Indian Dyeing and Bagru Dabu Prints

In the world, Indians are among the pioneers in the art of dyeing and printing with natural colour. Dyeing with indigo is a mystery because no colour can be observed when the fabric is dipped in an indigo bath — colours develop during exposure to the open air. The art of Bagru printing is practised mainly by two communities.

The Regar (Raigar, Rehgar, Rehgarh) is a caste found in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India. They are known as Regar in the Mewar region of Rajasthan. At the beginning of the 20th century, the British Raj administration imposed restrictions on the indigenous manufacturing of saltpetre which destroyed their livelihood. They now lead the dyeing process in Bagru

The Chippas.The word chhipa is derived from the Gujarati word chhapa, which means to print. The community was originally found in Nagaur in Rajasthan. After their settlement in Rajasthan and Gujarat, the community took up the occupation of dyeing and printing clothes. The community speak Marwari and are found mainly in Rajasthan and in north Gujarat, in the districts of Ahmedabad, Nadiad, Vadodara and Bharuch. Most Chhipa also speak Gujarati. Even today, their community works together in a place called Chhippa Mohalla (Printer’s Quarters) by the Sanjaria riverside near Bagru.

Difference between Sanganeri and Bagru style of printing

Sanganer print is usually done on white background. Whereas Bagru prints are printed on an Indigo or a dyed background. Local water also has its effects. In the water of Saanganer, the results of block printing are very rich dark shades of colour. Bagru on the other hand finds a reddish tinge in the block printed textiles.

The Bagru Way 

Bagru Is 30–35 kms from Jaipur, on Jaipur — Ajmer road and a population of around 22,089

The banks of the river provide clay which is an important ingredient in getting the base colour of the famed ‘Bagru’ prints. The artisans smear the cloth with earth from the riverside and then dip it in turmeric water to get the beige coloured background. It started when a Thakur - a local landlord decided to develop Bagru as a centre for block printing and brought two families of printers from Isarda, a village near Jaipur. The printers locally known as ‘Chippa’ came from the Royal patronage. The presence of abundant water in the overflowing ‘Sanjaria’ river and its clean sunny river bed led to the settlement of the Chippas. Today although the river runs dry these artisans thrive in Bagru practising their same methods of the past thus ensuring the survival of the traditional art. 

The Sophisticated Process of Bagru printing

a. Preparing the raw cloth.

b. Making dyes and colours.

c. Steps involving different types of printing.

d. Developing intricate dyeing technique for resist printing in particular

The raw fabric usually containing different impurities like starch, oil and dust, is cleaned for even and good penetration of colour. 

It takes two days to prepare a paste by mixing cow-dung, soda ash and sesame oil and wash the cloth with this mixture. This step is called scouring or locally as ‘Hari sarana’. This cloth is then washed, dried and made ready for ‘Harda’ treatment. Harda is a seed that is considered to be the most important element of the printing and dyeing technique of Bagru. This seed is powdered and mixed with water. Scoured fabrics are given a thorough wash in this mixture giving a yellow tint to the cloth.

Harda has natural Tanic acid in it that acts as a mordant for the iron in the print colour and resulting in the formation of Bagru black. The treated fabrics are then squeezed to dry and laid down in the sun. 

There are two main types of printing used commonly in Bagru. Direct dye printing and resist dye printing. In both procedures, the printing blocks are soaked overnight in mustard oil or refined oil and then washed. 

Printing is done on a wooden table, the size of which depends on the length of to be printed (18 foot approx.). These tables have a layer of ply on which there are 20 layers of tart and a sheet of cloth on which comes the final fabric. 

Direct Dye Printing: the dye solutions are poured into the tray. The printer presses the block into the dye tray and then onto the cloth until the pattern is complete. For every imprint, the block is pressed into the tray to get a fresh smear of paste. The outline pattern is done in blocks for the background and highlights in different colours. Once each pattern is complete, the cloth is ready for the dye vat. This printing is primarily done by male printers.

Resist Printing: Bagru is known for its mastery in the second type, a special printing technique of Resist style called ‘Dabu’ printing. Its essence lies in printing with specially prepared Dabu paste i.e. applying thick black mud paste onto the fabric and then dyeing the fabrics. The prepared cloth is printed with Dabu paste on wooden blocks. Thereafter the printed cloth is dyed with natural colour, these results in resisting dyeing in the portions which were hidden and a printed effect is created in the fabrics. 

Each family follows its own secret of making Dabu paste. 

Dabu preparation: In general Dabu is made by mixing: 1. Lime dissolved in water, 2. Natural gum ‘Bedhan’ or the wheat flour spoiled by worms, and 3. Locally available black clay All these are mashed well into a thick paste and left overnight. It is then strained into a liquid paste which is used for printing. The cloth is stretched on the table and blocks are selected to print designs on the cloth

There are 3 types of Dabu depending on the final result and the colour required: 

a. Kaligar Dabu that is processed only once 

b. Dolidar Dabu has little more gum thus better adhesive strength and can withstand about two trips to the dye vats 

c. Gawarbali Dabu has oil and gawar seed powder added to the paste which gives strength to cloth to go through repeated dyeing. 

As Dabu printing is completed, sawdust is sprinkled over the cloth before the prints dry completely to avoid sticking. 

Preparation of Dye solution: The dyeing process varies depending on the colour required. Bagru is known for its green shade that is acquired through two traditional methods: In the first method, the cloth is sent to the indigo vats, dipped, taken out and dried in the sun. It is then rinsed in a pre-boiled and cooled solution of pomegranate peel and water that is prepared a day before. It is washed again and then rinsed in a solution of alum and water to fix the colour and also for removing dabu paste. As the cloth dries the Bagru print appears. 

The other method is known as ‘Potai’. In this process, a paste is made of pomegranate peel, turmeric and sesame oil. The dabu printed fabric is held tightly by four persons and with a piece of woven cloth, the artisan generously applies the paste on the cloth. The fabric is then dried, dipped in a solution of alum and water. Alum is dissolved in water to acquire a clean solution. This solution is then strained through a cloth filter. The quantity of alum varies according to the strength of the dabu. A fabric not treated with alum solution produces prints of blurred and shabby images.

Bagru print is also famous for the use of two major colours — a red colour outline called ‘Began’ and a black colour called ‘Syahi’. For making the red outline, alum, Geru and natural gum are mixed together with water to make a paste. As a type of foam forms, ghee and oil is added to it. This is called red Began colour and it is an important part of Bagru printing. 

Black Syahi is essentially a fermented solution of iron, molasses, gum and the starch of the tamarind flower. This paste when applied on harda treated fabric turns black on getting exposure to the air. Common vegetable colours used for Bagru printing: ¾ Red or Madder from Aahl tree. ¾ Black from fermented Harda seeds. ¾ Blue from Indigo plant. ¾ Yellow from dried pomegranate rinds, turmeric and dried flowers of Dhabaria trees. 

Preparation of Indigo colour: Indigo is a challenging dye to use since it is insoluble in water. For making it soluble it undergoes a chemical change. Natural indigo is boiled in Pawar seeds and kept overnight. The next day, this solution along with lime is dissolved in the vats that are 15 feet deep and left untouched for a day. Dyeing starts only after that. More dipping in the water brings a deeper blue colour and one can dip a fabric for a maximum of 6 times. The fabric is then dipped in alum and water solution for fixing the colour.

The significant motifs of Bagru prints are:

1. Aath Kaliyan ( 8 flowers) 

2. Bankadi

3. Bada Bunta ( Large Dots) 

4. Hajura

5. Bewada

6. Hara Dhania( Herbs) 

7. Kamal ( Lotus) 

8. Chopad ( crossed lines)

9. Kel

10. Pyala ( Utensil)

11. Chhota Bel ( Vine) 

Bagru India in Balmain

Credits: Wikipedia, Vinita Sharma, Fibretofashion.com

Blog by Bhupen Thakker

His novel debuted in Top 10 Amazon Metaphysical and Visionary Fiction