Batik Printing by Dhwani Chauhan

Batik Printing

Craft Documented by: Dhwani Chauhan

For: Integrated Masters in Fashion Design Research Topic: Design and Craft Submitted to:

GLS Institute of Design Guided by: Suvankar Pramanick Submitted by: Dhwani Chauhan SEMISTER IV May 2018

“Art speaks where words are unable to explain.” - Threadless Artist Mathiole

PREFACE India is so rich and diverse in terms of crafts and it has existed since time immemorial.It has been one of the biggest identities of the country and has undoubtedly contributed to the magnificence of the country. One of the craft is Batik printing which itself has a story with India. I have taken this craft as I was facinated to study practically this craft and in a deeper context.Hence in an attempt to revive the craft and to give new dimention according to the present market I have studied and worked upon the new creation on the craft. However in this document I have magnificently expressed the elegent craft of batik Printing, in which I have focused upon the batik printing which is practised in Kutch. I visited to one of the artisanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s workplace in Mundra,Kutch. Hence this document is looking forward to my whole journey.

CONTENT Introduction on Batik printing History on Batik Indonesian Batik Batik print in India : Gujarat : Kutch Methodology : Interview Batik print Process Communities involved in craft Blocks in batik print Raw materials and tools Motifs Different techniques of Batik printing Color Wax, Fabrics and Dyes Present senerio :Batik printing in fashion SWOT analysis of Batik printing Artisan profile Annexure Acknowledgement Bibliography

7 8 9 10-12 13-14 15 15-17 18 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Art is Immortal 6

INTRODUCTION Batik is the craft which has 2000 years of attachment with India. The people are much aware about this craft. From the traditional techniques to modern one all are well known. Using one of this craft we can produce creative stuff from the unique techniques of it. Things have became instant and fast due to mechenisation. In past people have been inclined to hand made crafts and the spotlights have turned to the machineries for fast production. However will look forward to the batik printing ,its history and the places of the craft and how it influences the survival of the craft. 7

HISTORY

The word batik is Javanese in origin. It may either come from the Javanese word amba ('to write') and titik ('dot') The origins of Batik are largely unknown. Evidence of this intricate art form has been discovered all over Central Asia, Middle East, and India. Batik originated from Egypt in the 4th century BCE. It was used to wrap mummies where linen was soaked in wax, and it was scratched using a sharp tool. Some researchers feel the technique was developed in India then spread out from there. The history of Batik is tightly linked to China, made by Chinese artisans who migrated from their motherland where they were using Batik. Silk fabrics imprinted with Batik designs used to export from China through the Mediterranean Sea. It is known when the art of batik was first practiced in Java, batik belonged only to royalty and families of wealth and position. It was a hobby for the royal woman. Aristocrats and royalty had certain designs identifying a family, social status or geographical location on the island. Currently, batik art has spread to India, China, Malaysia, Europe and Africa. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) would add Indonesiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditional dyeing technique to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

INDONESIAN BATIK Indonesia is considered to be the cradle of batik with its many designs, which are restricted for different wearers and occasions. Indonesian batik has characters of mystic and ritualistic connection. Objects like flowers, trees and birds have a significant understanding in there culture. Batik is one of the most valuable parts of Indonesia’s heritage and an important contribution to global art. Since UNESCO recognized Indonesian batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2009, the country celebrates National Batik Day every year, on 2 October. On this day, Indonesian people wear batik in honour of this ancient tradition. Batik is made in various countries, but Indonesian batik is the most famous. Many batik patterns used by Indonesian artisans are symbolic. Special batiks are made to bring good luck, health etc. There are batik designes reserved for special groups of people (bride and grooms, royals, children etc.).So according to the designs the hierarchy is recognised. Although there is mention of ‘fabrics highly decorated’ in Dutch transcripts from the 17th century, most scholars believe that the intricate Javanese batik designs would only have been possible after the importation of finely woven imported cloth, which was first imported to Indonesia from India in around the 1800s and afterwards from Europe beginning in 1815. Textile patterns can be seen on stone statues that are carved on the walls of ancient Javanese temples such as Prambanan (AD 800), however there is no conclusive evidence that the cloth is batik. It could possibly be a pattern that was produced with weaving techniques and not dying. What is clear is that in the 19th century batik became highly developed and was well ingrained in Javanese cultural life. Some experts feel that batik was originally reserved as an art form for Javanese royalty. It’s royal nature was clear as certain patterns were reserved to be worn only by royalty from the Sultan’s palace. Princesses and noble women may have provided the inspiration for the highly refined design sense evident in traditional patterns. It is highly unlikely though that they would be involved in any more than the first wax application. Most likely, the messy work of dyeing and subsequent waxings was left to court artisans who would work under their supervision. The designs of Indonesian batik are mainly influenced by the sculpture and carving which is still present in many of the historical monuments. One of the craft of Indonesia is Wayang puppet which is made from goat skin, it is painted to create the illusion of clothing and the batik printers buy that and they likely to do the patterns of batik which is similar to the painting on puppet. So the patterns of batik print in Indonesia are very Intricate. There are many different patterns of batik printing and they are named according to there tradition. Well I am not going so deeply in Indonesian Batik.

BATIK PRINTING IN INDIA In India, the roots of batik is traced to 1st century AD. Traditionally, the Khatri community of Gujarat were the only set of artisans for this art. Over the time in India Batik was relegeted.However in the 20th century, Batik was introduced as part of the syllabus in the University of Shanti Niketan – Kolkata. So after that there was the comeback of batik. Presently batik has became a part of India. Shantiniketan in Westbengal is considered to be the hub of Batik printing. It is believed that the finest Batik designs in India come from the artisans of Cholamandalam near Chennai, Tamilnadu. Batik printing is also done in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. Today, Mundra and Mandvi in Gujarat’s Kutch district are the main centres of batik production.

GUJARAT ‘Gujarat’ one of the most prominent states in the country is very famous for its culture. It has many varieties in almost every aspect of thier state yet they are very unique in their own way in comparison with the other states.This state is influenced by different cultures, lifestyle and various other aspects. Inspite of going through numerous changes over a huge period of time, Gujarat has maintained and preserved its culture in the purest and original form and their sense of pride in their rich cultural heritage is reflected in almost everything like arts, literature, craft and festivals.Craft is immortal and in the land of Gujarat we can see innumerable craft clusters especially in kutch we can come across rich craft. Batik print is done in many of the places in Gujarat like Kutch, Ahmedabad.

Kutch

Ahmedabad

KUTCH Kutch is the seasonal island in the shape of tortoise from where the name of the region is derived as well. Kutch was a separate entity until Independence of our country, post independence it came under the Old Bombay State and then as part of Gujarat it got seperated. Kutch is very rich a great range of ethnic communities live in the region, most maintaining traditional dress and crafts of many sorts, including weaving, dyeing, printing, embroidery and many other crafts. In Kutch there are many of the organisations which are working for the betterment of the artisans they are giving helping in filling there pockets by engouraging the craftsmen work and taking orders from the common people or the tourists. So the rich and most oldest craft in Kutch is batik printing. The areas wear batik printing is done is in Anjar, Mandvi, Mundra and Bhuj.

Bhuj Anjar Mandvi

Mundra

Demography According to 2011 census Kutch District has a population of 2,090,313 roughly equal to the nation of Mecedonia or the US state of New Mexico. This gives it a ranking of 217th in India.

Climate This is one of the most hottest areas of India with summer temperatures averaging and peaking at 49.5c. Winter temperatures reduces dramatically and can go below 0c.

Festivals Kutch is known to the world for hosting the exuberant Rann Utsav, a cultural extravaganza organized every year by the Gujarat Tourism Department. There are many festivals which are been celeberated in kutch like Navaratri, Kite festival and many of the local fairs are been organised.

Communities and Culture Kutch specially the Banni Villages is known for its diversity as it has diverse communities such as Jat, Rabari, Meghwals, Mutwa, Muslim, Sodha and others making Kutch its home. The Kutchi people here are known for their hospitality and artistic handicraft and textiles.

Food The best thing about travel is you get to feast on local savouries and dishes that you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t normally get elsewhere. So instead of heading out to an upmarket restaurant, try out the local hotels for some authentic Kutchi food. Try out the Kutchi Dabeli, a spicy fast food made by stuffing a mixture of boiled potatoes and Dabeli masala between a pav. Kharibhat is another well-known rice based dish, much like fried rice. Also, keep in mind that alcoholic beverages are prohibited in Kutch, but you can always get your fix of tea in this region. Black tea is considered a sign of mourning, and is not offered to guests.

Methodology Initially I started a secondary research and arranging the data , learnt its history and other facts from which I was unaware. Then after I visited a workplace of batik printer in Mundra.So lets have a look on my journey and the conversation which I had with that artisan.

MUNDRA

AHMEDABAD

My journey I traveled to Mundra through bus from Ahmedabad at 11.30 and arrived there at 7:00 am. After that I visited the work place of Shakil Khatri which is named Rainbow Textile. Shakil Ahmed had done great job explaining us the process and history of this beautiful art and also mentioned about the tragedy of 2001 earthquake in kutch that yet many lives lost still it was lucky for the artisans as the government started helping the artisans with other people too. This incident made the little part of Gujarat famous in entire world.After the tragedy lots of NGOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like Khamir & Kalaraksha came forward to help the people of here and helped by giving them better work opportunities and connect them to the world. After this tragic time passed the government started the rannotsav in kutch to generate monopoly and the people visiting there used to see the rich craft of kutch and gradually people came to know about the marvels hidden in a region of gujarat. The 6th generation of the khatri family who were involved in batik printing was Shakil khatri who was graduated from Kala Raksha organization. He delightfully explained the history of his family. The production of Batik was stopped during the period of his great grand father but his grand father and his brother wanted to expand their art and during that time they were printing for only some particular communities and had no work after that so one of them decided to settle down Bombay(now Mumbai). But then one organization in Bhuj offered them something and ask that if they can do and they succeed in that job and his grand father 13

realized that modern generation wants new design so they explored new designs and new colors and they succeeded in what they offer soon the production was all time high and he also called back his brother from Bombay to run this family business. Their forefathers only focused on some communities and made the design keeping in mind of that communities only. They made clothes for Ahirs, Patels, Bharwads & Khatris. They make sarees for Ahirs and Patels and it was made with such designs and colors that one can predict their status and class. Saafo which is meniya rumaal for Bharwads and khatris adopted batik in thier culture of wearing patodia pyjama in marriages. Now lets talk about the process. There’s huge difference between designs, dyes and methods. Before when there were no technological support they obtained wax from peelu tree’s seeds. They extract the oil like substance from the seeds and it has characteristics like wax and that was used in printing. But it had a setback because the workers had to print their cloths at midnight and dry them before the dawn because a little sunlight could melt that wax. But now the workers use paraffin wax. Now Shakil khatri is trying to explore the natural dye’s more because now a days generation here are demanding more natural instead of product made of chemicals. Shakil khatri produces the natural dyes from indigo pomegranate juice and iron rust for printing. Shakil Khatri stated some challenges he faced regularly in this business. First of all his factory is located in mundra which is near sea and faces the problem of salty water which makes the color dull. And another he faces the problem of good labours as in his surroundings all want to do jobs but don’t want to do this kind of labour work and secondly for hand block printing they don’t find proper labours who know this skills.

Shakil khatri’s Uncle who is the only one in family out of this tradition. He is morely intrested in block making. He says,” There is difficulty in making intricate block by young generation as they cannot sit and work for longer period of time, even in pethapur which is the village where blocks are manufactured since long, their also when you go then you will see people of my age working on the carving of block.”

Batik print is an art and craft which is becoming more popular and well known as a wonderfully creative medium. The art of decorating cloth in this way using wax and dye has been practiced from centuries. Basically it is Wax Resist Dyeing.. The word batik actually means â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;wax writingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. It is a way of decorating cloth by covering a part of it with a coat of wax and then dyeing the cloth. The waxed areas keep their original color and when the wax is removed the contrast between the dyed and undyed areas makes the pattern. Batik is an ancient from of handloom and fabric printing in which the fabric is printed with wax resist brfore being dyed. The beauty of batik lies in its simplicity and the fact that one need not be an artist to achieve results. The places where batik is still practised in Kutch is Mundra,Bhuj and Anjar.The strong reason was the port due to which batik printer decided to live and continue there work.Shakil Ahmed Khatri who is one of the artisan of batik printing in Mundra. His whole family is involved in this craft He is woking on chemical dye but his aim is to use natural dye in batik printing as presently people are demanding for a natural and traditional batik. The techniques which are followed up in kutch are mainly: Block Print, Crackling and Splattering

PROCESS 1.WASHING

2. ARRANGING TABLE

The fabric is washed for removal of starch and other impurities so the printing can be done properly. The washing is done then it is kept for drying.

The table for printing is arranged i.e. in batik wax priting is done so the lower surface on which the fabric is placed there sand is placed so the wax can be absorbed in the fabric properly.

3. WAX PRINTING After the table is arranged next step is Wax printing. so the paraffin wax heated and then block is deeped in wax and it is printed on the fabric. The temperature of heating wax is to be maintained as the temperature decreses or increases the printing would be effected badly.

4. DYEING The fabric is then dipped in napthol dye for 10-15 minutes. The batik is not done in hot dyes, it is done in cool dyes. if you want double color the the same process is repeated i.e wax printing is done again and then dyed in another color.

5.WAX REMOVAL After the dyeing is done then the fabric kept to remove all water as we cannot squeeze the fabric otherwise the dried wax on the fabric will be crackled and then would be removed and required design will not be expressed. So after that the fabric is boiled at 100 degree C , hence the wax is melted.

6.RECYCLING OF WAX After wax is removed from fabric for recycling the same wax in printing the wax is stored and the again used for printing.

7. WASHING Once the wax is removed it is washed and dried twice so the wax which is remaining in fabric can be removed and fabric is ready to sale. So according to the orders they pack the cloth by ironing and folding.

COMMUNITIES INVOLOVED IN THE CRAFT In earlier times only Khatri families were involved in this craft in kutch. .The maximum community who is still maintaining the tration in kutch is khatri community, in mostly all kind of crafts khatris are the part of it. But now a days batik printing is done by many of the communities. In gujarat not only in Mundra, Bhuj and anjar but in Ahmedabad also their are many batik printers.

BLOCKS IN BATIK PRINTING This is the positive block as the design they want is embosed while in negetive the opposite is there.

The batik printing blocks are different from thr simple blocks used in any block printing. In the process of batik printing the block is been deeped in heated wax so the depth of the block should be more as the printing can be done properly, if the depth of block is very less then the wax will spread and particular shape will not be able to print on the fabric. In batik designs are more broder in wooden and if it is intricate the it is done with metal. There are two types of block: Negetive and Positive

Block made from nails 18

RAW MATERIALS AND TOOLS Batik is a painting on the fabric used in the manufacture of clothing. Therefore, in the process of batik making a few tools and materials needed such as: 1) A piece of white fabric The initial appearance, the fabric used as batik material is the result of homespun cloth. New imported white cloth known around the 19th century. Now you can easily get a white fabric with an affordable price. Type of fabric that can be used also varies the type of cotton, mori, and silk for batik. The size of the fabric need not be too wide, but enough with the small size. 3) Wax and Heaters The paraffin wax is used in batik printing Before use, the wax should be disbursed in advance by way of heating on the stove or other heater. Wax in batik making process serves to hold the color so as not to get into the fiber fabric in a part that is not desired. While the part that will not be left covered with colored wax. 4) Batik dye Batik dyes used in each different area. Dyes derived from materials contained in the area. Batik dyes made from synthetic dye (made from certain chemicals) and the natural color is the color of the material produced from certain plants for example, dye batik from tree tom, pace or mulberry tree that gives the red color of yellow artificiality.indigo, and timber soga.

Tools 1.Wooden blocks for printing 2.Vessel to heat wax in 3.Plastic bucket or big bowls to mix colors 4. A frame/ table to fix the cloth (table has sand on it so the wax does not spread)

MOTIF The motifs and patterns differ state wise or country wise as batik printing is paractised at many places but I have focused upon the batik printing of kutch. So the traditional patterns are all inspired from natural elements. One of thr motif is jad putli which is inspired from nature and farmer, then Rai dano, akhodiya, charkaliya, singh champo, jangali velo this all are gujarati names and the traditonal motifes were named in a similar manner now a days due to mordernisation the motifs are changing. When we come across the batik of West bengal then the artisans there practises the hand printing of gods and godesses. So the motifs differ state wise.

Jangali velo

Akhodiya

Fulakiya

Sih champo

Draksh madvo

Charkaliya

Jaad putli

Kachbo

DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES OF BATIK There are many different techniques of doing batik printing one was block printing which I mentioned above and likewise other techniques are: Crackling Canting CRACKLING METHOD The process which is followed up in crakling method is: The fabric is dipped into the heated wax and then it is left to dry. So after the wax is dried it will become harder so intentionally it is squeezed so it created crackes in the fabric and then it is dyed so the place where cracke will be created in that portion we can see the color and that creates the vain like structure in fabric.

CANTING Canting is a javanese technique in which a pen like tool is used to apply the liquid hot wax in batik making process . In India the places like Ujjain, Ahmedabad, West bengal the canting is done which is called hand painted batik. The difference in India is that the pen as compare to Indonesia. and the designs are different. So in this process as we have seen the block printing wax resist method in the same way the wax is applied through that pen and the batik is created.

Indonesia canting pen

Hand painted batik in India 21

COLORS The colors which were used traditionally in batik printing were indigo, red and black. Traditionally the natural dyes were used so this kind of colors were available. After wards due to more demand of colors and modernization chemical dyes are been used (Napthol Dye) and even many of the artisans are doing Natural dyes as maximum people are offering natural dyes. However now a days mostly all colors are used in batik printing now there are no limitations of the color in this printing. In batik printing all the colors are not optained so the colors which can be done in batik print is blue, green yellow, red. So this all colours are main one then if we want tints and shades in that then it cannot be possible to all, some can be optained as printing will get dull and that sort of problems are been seen in fabric when we give an experimental colors.

WAX, FABRIC, DYES This three materials plays a powerful role in batik printing. Wax excersises an important function in the process. Proper usage of wax leads to the best and rich result of batik work. Paraffin and Resin wax is used for appling as a resit printing on fabric. Pure cotton and pure silk are the best fabric for batik as these are strong enough to bear the heat of wax. The other common fabric used in batik printing are Cambric cotton and Popline. The fabric which are mixed like some percentage of cotton and some percentage of polyester then in that kind of fabric dye will not been done properly and thus batik will not be obtained. Cotton Batik is the most popular and commonly found type of Batik fabric in India. Cotton is affordable and easily available to rural artisans; moreover, it is also a fabric that takes to dyes extremely well. Soft, breezy and comfortable, cotton Batik can be used to make all types of clothes. Silk is also frequently used, especially the coarser varieties which are more absorbent. Batik was traditionally only done on cotton and silk, but nowadays other materials like georgette and crepe are also used The dyes which is used in batik print is cool dyes like napthol dye.

NATURAL DYES The traditional method of batik printing includes natural dyes and still many artisans are pactising naturally dyed batik. The dyes are made up of natural materials like pomogranate , allizerine, turmeric, indigo plant. Indigo is used to optain indigo color, then for red allizerine is used, for yellow turmeric and pomogranate is used, for green indigo dyed fabric is being sprayed from pomogranate juice, for black iron rust is used. So in this way natural dyes are made and used in batik printing.

PRODUCTS Batik textiles are used to make all types of clothes like saree, salwar kameez to kurtas, kurtis and tunics. Women also love wearing stols, shawls dupattas, handbags which are of batik printed fabric which adds the essence of ethnic flair. It is also used in home decor materials like wall-hangings, curtains, cushion covers, rugs and so on.

PRESENT SCENARIO Today we can rearly see the artisans working in traditional method as they want more production in less time So artisans are looking forward to other side of market rather then continuing this prestigious craft. Batik is done in Gujarat , Madhaya pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal. The price of batik printed fabric like sarees are Rs. 1000/- to Rs. 1500/- for Cotton sarees and for Silk sarees, the prices range between Rs. 4000/- to Rs. 10000/-.For cotton printed batik the max price is 120/- per meter. Presently batik is used in fashion industry and as the fashion is upgraded the designs are also being trendy and people are jumping in this ethnic world of batik print.

BATIK PRINT IN FASHION In recent years, ethnic prints and fabrics have become extremely trendy in western fashion and Batik is no exception. It has become a huge fad, especially as a casual wear fabric, and has been frequently used in high fashion designer collections. Many celebrities with a relaxed, bohemian sense of style have embraced Batik fabric and used it very effectively to add an Indian touch to their stylish looks. Batik dyed or printed tunics and kurtis are a great way to stay comfortable and on trend during summer, while Batik salwar kameez can help professional women jazz up their work looks. Indonesian fashion designer Novita Yunus, who was here to promote Jakarta Fashion Week, presented a collection of ensembles in techniques like

SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGHTHS

WEAKNESS

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Low Capital Investment and high ratio of value. As it is hand made so it has low competitors.

Lack of inadequeat infrastructure and communication facilities. Mouth publicity Capacity to handle limited orders.

Use of E-commerce in direct market. Rising appreciation for batik printing by customers in developed countries.

People are focusing upon other printed fabrics available in market. Better quality of products produced from Europe, South Africa, etc

S W O T

ARTISAN PROFILE

Shakil Khatri Age: 36 years Place: Mundra, Kutch 6th generation who is practising this elegent craft of batik printing.

ANNEXURE How many years of work experience do you have in this feild? Do your ancestors were part of this craft? Do your childer are ready to continue the tradition of your family? What are mainly colors used in batik? From where do you get maximum orders? What is the current price per meter batik fabric? Do you take orders of less metre fabric ? Which all fabrics are used in batik? Which kind of wax you prefer in printing? Which is the design and color in most of demand? Do you face any challenges in process? If yes then what? And which are the major one? What is the traditional way of making batik? Which kind of dyes do you use in batik printing? Do you prefer natural dyes? If yes then do you face any problem in that? What is the history of this craft and how this craft started in Mundra? Do you think that due to new technology this hand block printed(traditional) method may ruin in coming years? Any government facilites provided to you? Do non government organisation support you in any way? Which were the tradiional designs and colors in batik printin? Do you give the block designs ? Who is your block maker? Do you have monopoly in market?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This document would not have been possible without the help and kind support of various individuals. Every person I met or spoke helped me to move further for the documentation. I am very much grateful to my respected faculty Shuvankar sir who guided me in this document. I would like to express my eepest gratitude towards the artist and their family for inviting me into their humble abode and showing interest in answering my questionnaries and sharing knowledge of there old tradition. Even I am grateful to my parents for coming along with me everywhere for the research.

BIBLIOGRAPHY www.asanjokutch.com/content/geography.asp?main_cat=geography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kutch_district https://www.tourmyindia.com/states/gujarat/fairs-and-festivals-in-kutch.html http://www.kutchexpeditions.com/explore-kutch-gujarat/communities-culture-of-kutch-gujarat/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batik www.dsource.in/resource/hand-batik-print-ahmedabad-gujarat/making-process https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehYX87bx89A https://www.utsavpedia.com/motifs-embroideries/batik-a-worldwide-art/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYZuSqAEH5s https://blog.utsavfashion.com/fabrics/batik-textiles https://www.novica.com/clothing/batik https://www.slideshare.net/RaihanulIslam1/indian-handicrafts-industry https://issuu.com/ananyachoudhary/docs/sholapith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXrK0wY43RY https://in.pinterest.com/sandangindo/batik-as-international-fashion/ batikandbubbles.com/blog/2017/9/25