In the genre of woodblock art, the picture that comes to mind for many people is probably the iconic image of The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai, with the waves like little fingers clawing toward the ocean. Block printing was actually invented in China during the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD) as a printing process for texts and images to produce books related to Buddhism. Eventually, block printing spread to Japan and Korea.
In the Indian context, block printing naturally means printing on textile, not on paper. Ink patterns are applied onto fabric using engraved wooden blocks dipped in colored dyes. Block printing has been done in Rajasthan for more than 400 years. Traditionally, block printing was done in the villages by families of craftspeople who handed down the knowledge generation after generation. There are the families who carve the designs on blocks of teak or wood. Another family produces the various kinds of dyes, some from natural vegetables and others from metallic salt. Other families do the actual printing onto the fabric. And yet still other families wash the fabrics after the ink has dried.
Rajesh brought us to do some block printing at a tourist shop selling textiles and carpets. Everybody loved trying out block printing onto little squares of fabric. We didn’t mind that the stamps were little advertisements for the shop. The first layer to go on is the black, then a new stamp is used to fill in each new color. All of the ink was made from vegetable dyes. To make the ink set into the fabric so it would remain permanent, we dipped the decorated squares of fabric into a vinegar and water mixture.
Afterwards, we were shown into the shopping area, a massive hall filled with fabrics, bedsheets, duvet covers, clothes and scarves and another room full of rugs. Everything was of good quality and after a little friendly bargaining, reasonably priced as well. It was obvious that this shop meant to do business when they brought out bags of chips and bars of Cadbury’s chocolate for the kids. When the kids were occupied munching on the snacks, the adults could focus on shopping.
It was the last day of 2023 and we were all in good spirits. The shopkeepers were keen to make a good sale to end the year and we were keen to make a good purchase. Everybody ended the year on a happy note.
