Ajrakh is known to many of us. But maybe many of us don't know how hard is this Ajrakh to make and why it's so valuable. So, let's know it today.
The term Ajrakh is derived from the Arabic word ‘Azrak’ which means blue. And in other meaning, Ajrakh means 'Aaj rakh' which means 'keep it for a day'. Ajrakh block printing has more geometrical shapes and uses dark colours like blue, red and black.
Ajrakh has its roots in Mohenjo-Daro. The art of Block printing on cotton cloth has been practised in India for more than 4000 years. Ajrakh is one of the oldest among them. Currently, there are two places in the world where
Ajrakh is made with traditional techniques. One of them is the Bhuj, Gujarat and Sindh region of Pakistan. Nowadays because of technical rises, Ajrakh is made with machine prints too. But let's know about how real ajrakh is made.
Ajrakh making is one of the lengthiest processes of textile art in the world. Creating Ajrakh takes a very long and very laborious workforce. It requires a great skill set and patience to get perfect Ajrakh.
An interesting about this art is that nature plays its role in making. The artist needs sun, river, animals, trees and mud to make Ajrakh.
When we talk about sustainability and eco-friendly fashion, Ajrakh is one of the natural-made product because it's made with natural dye and on pure cotton or silk (There are many fake Ajrakh manufacturers in the market but artisans are still practising Ajrakh craft with natural dyes and on pure fabric.)
Normally an Ajrakh piece is printed with seven sets of blocks, with each set having three to five blocks. A separate block is required for each pattern and colour. There are several design variations for the central background like riyal, bodi riyal, mifudi, champakali, char pa ek, pencho.
The 16-step process required to create a piece of Ajrakh fabric is what makes the outcome so beautiful and intricate. All of these steps require a very delicate and perfect skill set to make Ajrakh.
That makes Ajrakh an expensive and luxurious fabric.
Ajrakh printing celebrates nature amazingly. This is evident in the aesthetics of the unification of its colours as well as motifs. The traditional colours found in ajrakh printing are deep, which symbolise nature.
So let's take one step toward a better tomorrow by supporting this nature base Ajrakh craft and those artists who works hard to keep this craft alive.
Blog by- Dareen Gypsy
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