Rogan Art www.craftcanvas.com
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Table of Contents • About Us • Introduction • Mythology • Material Used • Process of Rogan Art • Motifs • Contemporary Adaptations • Additional References • Image Source
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About Us CraftCanvas is a link between rural artisan communities and the urban customer, translating an ages old craft into something that is relevant today. It is based on the idea of contemporizing Indian Handicrafts through a common platform and canvas where stake holders of the craft community like artisans, designers, craft practitioners, etc can come together to create unique products and experiences suited to modern day living. India has a rich handicraft heritage and we owe this to generations of artisans who have blended tradition, religion, social norms and functionality to bring craft where it is today. However, there has been a significant shift in sensibilities of present-day craft patrons thereby highlighting a need for Handicrafts to adapt to these changes. We believe that there is a place for India’s traditional crafts even in the most modern of spaces and this process of evolution is what CraftCanvas facilitates. Handicraft patrons like you can express your requirements ranging from wall murals, soft furnishings, paintings, furniture and lighting among many others. Our team will assist you in transforming their ideas and aesthetic preferences to final products with a high level of artistry. On the other end, we are constantly forming collaborations between the craft and design community through which an interesting blend of experiences and products are developed. Working with designers, traditional artisans are trained to adapt to this new design scenario. For designers, it gives them an opportunity to create solutions that embody the essence of the craft. Subsequently, these innovations are marketed by CraftCanvas through channels like online store, workshops, exhibitions etc. Please feel free to browse through our site for specific information on our various initiatives and we look forward to welcoming you to our world of crafts.
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Introduction
Artisan painting with Rogan
Three hundred years ago, a beautiful art; unsung in that period, originated from Persia and Pakistan and descended into Nirona village in Kutch. The term Rogan is a Persian word, which means ‚Oil based. Earlier it was practiced in Baroda, Patan, Chowbari and Khavada of Kutch in Gujarat and Nasik of Maharashtra. Today this craft is only practiced by the men of Khatri community. The Hindu and Muslim communities of Khatris have been practicing this art form from generations. It was practiced by 4-5 families in Nirona village (Kutch) since the last 40 years. Presently, there is only one family who is practice Rogan art. Six members of this family comprises of an uncle, his son and four nephews. They are the sixth and seventh generations in the family who continue to practice this craft successfully.
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Mythology
A 100 year old painted Rogan Ghagharo (skirt)
The art of Rogan painting on cloth goes back to centuries. According to local legend, this art came into India from the Afridis, originating in Syria. The route was through Persia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The craft concentrated in the Northwestern parts of India, and was practiced mainly by the Muslim descendants of the Afridis. Later, it was found that Rogan craft was practiced not only by the Afridis but also in Peshawar, Lahore and Pathan , where linseed oil was used, whereas in Kutch, castor oil was used in the preparation of Rogan paste. The product came to be called as Afridi lac cloth or Peshwar lac cloth. The Rogan technique was traditionally associated with the Afridi tribe of Pathans, who lived in the area around Peshawar and Kohat. Blocks were not used, but red, yellow and other colours in a thick sticky pigment were applied in bold patterns, on which, as they dried, abrak or powdered talc was sprinkled.
Rogan painting is used as a substitute for embroidery. Rogan painting on cloth gives the impression of embroidery. The effect is caused due to the surface application of paste which has an embossed and shiny look akin to embroidery. Rogan is used to decorate mostly the garment of bridal trousseau like Ghagharas, Odhana, Chabla, and Dharajo. Bed sheets, pillow cases, quilts, wall�hanging are also made along with saris. www.craftcanvas.com
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Materials Used
Rogan Paste and colours
Tools and Equipment : The tools and equipments used for the art of Rogan painting was traditionally handmade or sourced from the local market or from Bhuj. The tools and equipments like Dandi (stirrer), Handio (aluminium container) traditionally containers were made from clay, Suya (iron rod), Dhakni (covering plate made up of mud), Parrat (wide mounted vessel), Chulah (furnace), Kanno (plastic bowl used for keeping rogan colour paste) and Kharal (manual stone grinder) were used. Materials used for Making Rogan Paste : Castor oil, wood, kerosene, kahral (stone grinder) and dyes are the basic ingredients Dyes used for Rogan Painting : During earlier times, a natural source such as stone was used, while later, plant sources were also used to extract dyes. Colours like white, red, blue, yellow, green and orange were used in pure form. But today, they have switched over to synthetic dyes. Napthol dye is also used for the preparation of the paste. The colours used are locally known as Pavadi (yellow), Lal (red), Vadadi (blue), Safed (white), Leelo (green) and Bhuro (brown). Fabric used : During early days Rogan was limited to thick cotton fabric called khaddar but now due to customer demand and availability of various fabrics, craftsmen have begun to paint on cotton, silk, wool, polyester and denim. www.craftcanvas.com
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Process of Rogan Art Process of preparing Rogan Paste Every step is time consuming to achieve the best results. The process is handled by only skilled persons and carried out at a distant place away from the residential area, as it emits a bad odour and affects the lungs. The process is carried out in the following manner
Step 1: The craftsmen dig the earth at a suitable place for the preparation of chulah (furnace). Step 2: The Handio (aluminium container) is placed on the chulah, in which a litre of castor oil is boiled for minimum 4 hours. Step 3: The boiling process starts after fifteen minutes and the craftsmen properly monitor the temperature by continuously stirring the castor oil inside the handio. Step 4: During the boiling process, the castor oil starts catching fire, once the oil catches flame then immediately the handio is removed from the chulah and is covered with dhakani. www.craftcanvas.com
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Step 5: When oil container is uncovered the oil comes in contact with the oxygen due to which it catches fire; during the same time, the castor oil gets purified since during the boiling process, existing impurities were expelled in the form of fumes. Step 6: The entire process is repeated number of times until the castor oil is transformed into a thick paste like gelatinous substance. Step 7: At this stage, the white particles visible on the surface of the oil turn yellow. Step 8: The craftsman checks the consistency of the paste with the wooden rod; if the desired consistency is achieved, the container is removed from the chulah and is kept in shade for 5-6 hours. Process of preparing Colour Paste
Step 1: Prior to the preparation of fresh paste the kharal (manual grinding stone) is cleaned thoroughly so that there are no traces from the previous processes. Step 2: After cleaning the kharal, the dye is ground by adding water to it as required. The grinding process continuous till a smooth paste is prepared. Step 3: A small quantum of gelatinous Rogan paste is taken and added to the dye paste. The process of grinding the dye paste continues until the Rogan is thoroughly mixed with the dye paste. www.craftcanvas.com
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Process of Painting
Step 1: The fabric to be painted is spread on the floor/ground. Step 2: The craftsman takes a lump of colour paste in his palm and mixes vigorously with suya rod (metal stylus) held by other hand. The process of mixing is continued till the Rogan coloured paste is stretched to a thread like consistency Step 3: This paste is then used to paint the fabric with the help of suya(metal stylus). The fineness of the painting depends on the stretchability of the coloured Rogan paste Step 4: The painting is done only on one side of the fabric. Step 5: The painted fabric is then folded evenly from the centre to get an identical impression on the other half of the fabric. Step 7: The painted fabric is then kept under the sunlight for 6-7 hours for it to dry.
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Motifs
Rogan Motifs
Earlier, the designs ranged from simple geometrical motifs to a great variety which included floral, plants, animals, birds, human and abstract motifs, drawn from the natural world and sometimes with religious associations. Since the existing Rogan artists are mostly Muslim, they refrain from depicting human or animal forms in their art. Most of their motifs are floral, while bird motifs are only used by the Hindu Khatri craftsmen. Mostly two layouts are used for motifs placement, one for border and the other for the rest of the composition all over. The traditional floral motifs were small flowers like chauphulla, tik, ghonta (Mari gold flower) and keyri (mango). The floral borders include panfarei, single farei (seed pod and flower), kangsi or phullivel (comb like pattern and phulvels), popatgulvel (with parrots and flowers). Motifs drawn from animal kingdom are popat (parrot) occurring in stylized forms, haathi (elephant) – a royal animal occurring with or without ambadi (howdah and rider), other figurative motifs are mahiyarin – two women wearing ghagharas and chunaris, churning curd using ravirya (churner) and a garud (angel). Owing to recent customer demand, artisans mostly draw the ‘Tree of life’, in order to appeal to patrons from the West.
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Contemporary Adaptations
A range of hand-crafted bags by Varsha Murali, Payal Kothari, Shreya Anushi, Charvi Budhdeo and Saaniya Sharma
Rogan painting done on the costumes by Ilina Tewari www.craftcanvas.com
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Additional References • http://www.isca.in/FAMILY_SCI/Archive/v2/i1/1.ISCA-RJFCCS-2013026.pdf • http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/10310/1/IJTK%209(4)%20644 -650.pdf • http://traditionalroganart.com/?page_id=19 • http://traditionalroganart.com/ • http://gaatha.com/rogan-art-kutch-gujarat/ Image Source • • • • •
https://www.behance.net/gallery/26329297/Laya https://www.behance.net/gallery/23097789/Styling-Roganhttps://www.behance.net/gallery/24886245/Rogan-Art https://luxurionworld.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/rogan-art.jpg http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/10310/1/IJTK%209(4)%20644 -650.pdf
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Designed by Surpritkaur Dang www.craftcanvas.com
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