SUFIYAN ISMAIL KHATRI

Ajrakh Blockprint

Gusts of wind swept across the sand. The beating of fabric being washed in the distance, loud. The occasional chirp of a bird and the bark of a dog could be heard. The hot afternoon had driven people indoors. While the village slept, I sat by the doorsteps, looking on, the winding street, faded white walls, blue doors, shrubs speckled the otherwise barren land. I thought of Dhamadka, my home. Memories of my childhood drifted by. Days filled with school, play and holidays. Holidays meant days spent at the workshop. My father is an Ajrakh artisan. Generations before him carried on the art. It passed down to my father and now to me. I remember my grandfather telling us, it was in 1634, that the King of Kutch invited his forefathers. They were from Sindh. Accepting the king’s invitation to move to Kutch, they searched for a suitable land. Soon they chose Dhamadka. A river flowed through the land and it was ideal. Dhamadka, then became home for the years to come.

Being the tenth in line to this craft, I think of when I began. As a child, days at the workshop meant making colour, getting the dyes ready and trying out a few prints. Europeans designers would come to meet my father. They would take pictures of us at work. We as children were excited and worked more so that we could be in their pictures.

Over the years, the river that flowed through Dhamadka dried up, so bore wells were made to wash clothes. I remember fishing in the river as well. Special days and guests at home would mean fish for dinner. Problems stumbled in one after the other. Scouring cloth too became an issue. An earthquake struck Kutch in 2001. It was disastrous for us. Rust got into the water. It now no longer could be used to dye cloth.

We saw a new beginning. My father found new land and named it Ajrakhpur. We soon moved here. And this is where we are today.

Alongside, the market too changed. As polyester hit the home market, Ajrakh and traditional cloth began becoming expensive. The village folk no longer bought from us. It was worn by the cattle herders of the time. However, with an increasing number of designers visiting us, we reached a broader market, now selling through the country and around the world. With this, I got to travel too, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and of course through India. Facebook, Whatsapp, and Skype takes work to another level. We now see better days in networking and marketing.

Today, as an artisan, I like thinking and developing, new designs rooted in tradition. As designers and many big brands have taken a growing interest in Ajrakh, the art takes new forms. It is important for people to know the process as well. People come and bargain with us, unwilling to pay, expecting it for cheap. Have we not worked hard for it? After all, is this not a form of art?

I see life as a journey, and in that journey, I want to travel. To explore the world, explore food and textile and live my dreams.