Rogan Art : Craft Documentation

Copyright Information Š Published in the year 2019 by Fashion Communication Department, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) (Ministry of Textile, Government of India) GH-0 Circle, Gandhinagar-382007 Gujarat, INDIA Tel: 079-23240832, 23240834, 23265000 Fax: 079-23240772 www.nift.ac.in/gandhinagar Web : http://www.nift.ac.in All rights reserved @ NIFT, Gandhinagar. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any other information storage and retrieval system without prior written permission from the publisher, author and subject to copyright laws.

We heartily acknowledge all the artisans who helped us throughout our visit to Kutch, Gujarat.

A special thanks to Mr. Abdul Gafur Bhai without whom it would have been impossible to traverse the narrow lanes of this craft.

We would also like to express our deep gratitude towards Dr. Hir Vyas for encouraging, guiding and motivating us throughout this project.

Contents

KUTCH

1

ABOUT THE CRAFT

2

COLORS AND MOTIFS

3

PROCESS

4

ARTISANS

5

LIFESTYLE AND CULTURE

6

7

PRODUCT RANGE

8

SUSTAINABILITY

9

MARKET SCENARIO

10 CONCEPTUALIZATION

Rann of Kutch

Kutch

The name of the region was derived from its geographical characteristics. The map resembles the shape of a tortoise because of which it got it’s name “Kutch”.

Kutch is a district of Gujarat state in western India. Bhuj is the district headquarters of Kutch.

Alot of crafts are practiced in the Kutch district.

The village of Nirona is 40km away from Bhuj.

In Nirona, a place miles apart from the limelight, lives the Khatri family, which has been the only torch-bearer of our heritage art called-‘Rogan Art.’

Door carving of Aaina Mahal

Artifacts of Aaina Mahal

Women practicing a local craft

People of Kutch

With two National Awardees, Abdul Gafur Khatri (1997) and his younger brother Sumar Khatri (2003), the family has held steadfast to this unique art form for over three centuries.

Somewhere between the white stretches of Kutch, lies a remote village, Nirona.

This city gets its fame from age old art of Rogan and this is the only ground that holds this rare art.

The landscape of Nirona is an amalgamation of old-torn temples, houses and new cement buildings. It is directly connected to the highway. The village survived during the 2001 Earthquake. Even after massive destruction, some crafts like Rogan had survived with few bruises and has grown stronger.

Rogan art travelled from Persia to Afghanistan to Pakistan and finally resided in Kutch.

Since then Nirona had been the motherland for 8 generations of this family.

People of Nirona

Locality of Nirona

Locality of Nirona

Streets of Nirona

The Khatri family’s house and workshop

About the Craft

Rogan Art, an ancient skill with its origins in Persia, came down to Kutch around 400 years ago. Traditionally, the craft was pursued to beautify bridal clothing of the regional tribes.

Beautiful borders and floral patterns on ghagras, odhani and bead spreads were painstakingly painted. However, it being a dying craft with more people showing interest in it, in the form of wall pieces.

‘Rogan kaam’ has gained popularity as Rogan art in today’s time.

Rogan is the technique of painting on fabric, crafted from thick brightly coloured paint which is made with castor seed oil.

Castor is a locally grown crop in Kutch and artists most likely source it from farmers directly.

The term rogan means oil-based in Persian and refers to the thick residue formed when castor oil is heated and cast into cold water.

Artisans place a small amount of this paint paste on their palm. At room temperature, the paint is carefully twisted into motifs. Next, the artisan folds his designs on a blank fabric, thereby printing its mirror image. Earlier, the designs were traditional but now it is more intricate.

Abdul Hamid Arab Khatri performing Rogan art

Rogan silk saree

The Artisan’s color box

Colors Yellow : Pavadi Red : Lal Blue : Vadadi White : Safad Green : Leelo Black : Kalo

Taara (star)

Tripakdi

Bavariya

Thad (roots)

Chakri

Naaka (darwaza)

Motifs Traditionally, the floral, geometrical and calligraphy motifs were used for the art of rogan paintings. During the ancient period, the calligraphy motifs were used in Persian alphabets. The bird motifs were used only by the Hindu Khatri craftsmen of Ahmedabad.

These motifs were used as all over pattern.

Mainly two layouts were used for motif placement that is border and all over.

The motifs painted by Hindu Khatri craftsmen were large with broad outline.

They also incorporated bigger motifs of bird which were not seen in rogan painted products of Kutch.

Jabbar bhai checking the instensity of rogan

Jabbar bhai making color with rogan

P rocess

The paste is prepared by heating either safflower oil, castor oil or linseed oil to the boiling point over a period of three days, thereafter pouring it into water. Castor oil is mainly used because castor is a locally grown crop in Kutch and was traditionally sourced from the farmers. The Rogan paste is stored in earthen pots in order to keep them moist.

This paste is either mixed with chalk color pigment or vegetable pigments, as per the choice of the artist, to create a thick dye. This is how bright and lively colors are made.

The artisan places a small amount of the paste on his palm. At first, outlining is done, then the design is made. Then after drying, the intricate design with various colors is made. Drying generally takes two days. In case of symmetric patterns, to reduce the effort, the fabric is folded from the centre to get the impression on the other half.

The designs made are very fine and detailed, usually geometric and floral motifs are depicted. ‘The Tree of Life’ and Mughal paisleys are also made.

Though intricacy of the work varies from piece to piece, if the work is very intricate, then a square foot piece of cloth could take around a month.

Sumar bhai using Rogan colors

Sumar bhai checking the thickness of the colored rogan on his palm

Sumar bhai making designs

Padma Shri award winner - Abdul Gafur Khatri along with his famous artwork.

Sumar Khatri

Artisans

300 year-old tradition that once flourished in Gujarat’s Kutch region, now is only practiced

by Abdul Gafur Family of Nirona village.

Lack of awareness took the craft to the brink of extinction. The entire village that practised this craft once, switched to other trades.

A young Abdul Gafur followed and went to Ahmedabad and even Mumbai to find work but he soon realised the importance of the craft and decided to retain and promote it.

“At that time, there were no tourists visiting Gujarat and the art was not famous. Later on, the government gave them a project and started helping them, that’s when Gafur bhai’s grandfather asked him to return.

In 1983, Gafur bhai became so enchanted with Rogan that he promised his father that he would take it to the international level. “I fulfilled my promise when Rogan art was presented to US President Barack Obama when Narendra Modi’ visited US in 2014” says Abdul Gafur, recipient of a State Award in 1988 and a National Award in 1997.

They have been practicing Rogan for 46 years now and they believe that “If we dont do this, no one else will and the art will be lost. I never dreamt of doing anything else. It is our responsibility to take our age-old tradition forward”, says Gafur bhai. Abdul bhai now teaches Rogan art to women in collaboration with a non-profit organisation.

Jabbar Khatri

Sumar bhai with his daughter, Sana.

Khatri Arab Hasam

Abdul Gafur Daud Khatri

Jumma Daud Khatri

Sumar Daud Khatri

Jabbar Arab Khatri

Asraf Daud Khatri

Mo. Hanif Arab Khatri

Abdul Hamid Arab Khatri

Sahil Abdul Gafur Khatri

Shakil Jumma Khatri

Beautiful gate at the Khatri house

Lifestyle and Culture

Abdul Gafur Khatri is the synonym of Rogan art at present. He has shaped and transformed the future of this art around.

Today his innovative changes in the motifs and designs are the reason behind the fame this art has received.

Apart from Gafur bhai, the whole family stays in two houses attached by walls on the same street. They own two cars and motorbikes.

They have a family of 25 members.

The house was renovated a few years back, after the earthquake.

Glimpse of the Khatri household

There current financial state is quite good, but his family saw dark days earlier, some members even worked for Rs.2 to Rs.5 per day.

During those days , due to severe drought artisans in Kutch moved and travelled to different places in search of jobs and oppoturnities.

Sana- Daughter of Sumaar bhai

Wall painting

Mobile pouch

Product Range Traditionally, this art was found in the different types of products prepared using rogan technique were skirt (ghagara), dupatta (odhani), bed sheet (chaddar), quilts and wall hangings. In ancient time, the demand of rogan products was much more in comparison to embroidery and bandani. During those days, rogan painted fabric was worn by women through out the year. These days, the products are mainly produced as per the consumer demand. The craftsmen usually get orders from the foreign tourists.

Dress material

Rogan stole

Jabbar bhai is checking the Rogan

Sustainability The paint is made using boiled oil and vegetable dyes. Natural colours are mixed with the thick residue that is formed and used to make free-hand designs on cloth. A stylus is used for making designs on the fabric, which can be used multiple times. Rogan art has been used in combination with khadi also. “We had experimented with khadi fabric in the past but only on small-scale. In fact, a saree that I had prepared using Khadi silk applying Rogan art on it had become a masterpiece winning a national award in 1997, it is for the first time that the combination of khadi cotton and Rogan will be available in a market place, at a emporium,� said Abdul Gafur Khatri, head of the Khatri family, who was conferred Padma Shri earlier this year.

Colored rogan is kept in water so that it does not dry and become hard

Wall paintings made using rogan art kept for drying

Jabbar bhai showing their work

Market Scenario The biggest problem that the art continues to face is the lack of awareness about it.

The artwork is so intricate and detailed that people usually percieve it to be printed and thus, they have to be convinced that it is painted and not printed.

60 years old rogan art

Revival

Kutch’s Rogan tradition is sustained by two families in Nirona village. It is a craft which took form over the course of time.

The members of the Khatri muslim community were doing Rogan art work on various costumes of local animal herders and farming communities, but the craft ceased to exist when the community started using other machine made textiles as a more cost effective alternative.

Revival of rogan art designs

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, several factors came together to bring about a renewed interest in rogan art, especially painting.

First, after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, when much of the region was devastated, the water and electricity infrastructure was improved, new roads were built, and the number of flights into the region was increased, all of which led to an increase in tourism.

Second, local cooperatives and non-profit groups helped local artisans, including Rogan artists, to increase their market by selling in urban settings and online.

Third, many members of the Khatri family won state and national awards for their art, thus increasing the prestige of their art.

Finally, in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the U.S. White House, and gave President Obama two rogan paintings including a tree of life. They were painted by Abdul Gafur Khatri, a national award winner.

The Khatris introduced more contemporary products to appeal a wider range of customers, such as bags, cushion covers, table cloths, wall hangings, and pillow covers.

The tree of life continues to be a best seller.

The number of tourists to the Khatri workshop increased steadily in the 2010 to as many as 150 people per day.

The family of Abdul Gafur Daud Khatri have received various awards, won national and international acclaim for the preservation of their art form. To increase the outreach of the craft, the family took initiative to train the local girls from other communities.

60 years back ‘TREE OF LIFE’

Recent design of ‘TREE OF LIFE’

For a long time, this rare craft was not well known even in India. With a growing fan following that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Waheeda Rehman, Shabana Azmi and Narendra Modi Rogan art is now getting the recognition it deserves.

Instead of the traditional products the range is growing wider to attract today’s generation. Rogan art is now performed on file cover,mobile cover and handbags.

Conceptualization POSTCARD

COFFEE TABLE BOOK

Every artisan working on a artwork leaves his or her impression on it through their beautiful hand gestures. In the following post cards, we have tried to showcase some of these hand gestures used while painting.

Motifs formed by these gestures are mentioned on the back side with a glimpse of the process.

The coffee table for the Rogan art talks about the different generations of Khatri family from Nirona, Kutch who are currently dedicated towards this art of Rogan. The book starts with the eldest member who is doing this Rogan art and ends with the youngest member. Along with the details of the members, the evolution of Rogan motifs is also shown side by side, just to show how with every coming generation the art has become more intricate. The most popular designs including tree of life, mandalas, toran, flowers and peacocks are used in the book. It is more of a visual based book, thus making it an interesting and quick read.

POSTER

10 members of this family practice Rogan art, hence the poster gives recognition to each and every artisan. The poster’s aim is to show how rogan painting justify the price they offer.

Right from the making of Rogan to painting it.

Some of their thoughts on the progress, future, condition are mentioned on the poster.

Promotional video

Through a stop motion we are trying to convey a short story that from where the craft came and how it has evolved over the years.

Creative promotional strategy

BROCHURE

The Traditional Art of Rogan is practised by the Khatri family of Nirona village, Kutch. The family claims that their great grandfathers and fathers were the Rogan art experts and currently ten of their family members are involved in this craft. So many years of hard work, unique art pieces and national and international exhibitions later, the Khatris who have in a way become a brand for the Rogan Art do not have a proper packaging for their products. The family caters to a lot of International customers right now, and it would be really good if they could do something for the packaging of their products as it is currently not present. The designed packaging is suitable for all kinds of products including the shawls, scarfs, wall hangings, suit pieces and sarees. This unique packaging is reusable and can be transformed into a hanger onto which one can hang things and could be also used as a frame for the wall hangings. The material of the packaging is cardboard and comes with the Rogan art logo and other details printed on one side of it.

The process of Rogan involves working in steps. One piece of rogan is an art formed by passing through different artisans. One forms the boundaries while others fill life in them. The brochure showcases these different steps with the use of paisley print, which is commonly known as keri that is mango. The colours used in the brochure are used in Rogan painting.

References We would like to show our deep gratitude towards Artisan Gafur Bhai Khatri and his family who were kind enough to share the process of Rogan with us and give us their precious time.

Internet gujarattourism.com www.panjokutch.org.in https://kachchh.nic.in

Left to right: Soumya Sharma, Ayushi Agarwal, Shubhangi Chaudhary, Abdul Gafur bhai (Artisan), Tanvi Bhakhar, Ananya Singh, Kavisha Dalal, Nidhi Shah