On the way to Jaisalmer we stopped at Barmer to attend a block printing workshop run for us by a small textile printing company called Panihari.
This was very exciting as one of the workers first showed us the process and then we were each given a metre of cloth and helped to create our own prints. We each just used two different blocks one for the edge and one for the centre, but they would use several wooden blocks to create a detailed pattern with several colours (see the Anokhi post). The solution we pressed onto the material was made of lime and gum. This will act as a ‘resist’ so that when the material is dyed the patterned sections will remain white.
Wooden blocks with carved designs
They will dye our prints with indigo and send them on to us in Jaisalmer … watch this space.
On our way to Bikaner we stopped in a village and went into the home of a family who generate their own wool, yarn and fabrics.
They take the wool from their sheep and camels, spin this into yarn, dye it, weave it on hand looms creating fabrics, and then create products such as shawls. They then sell these to the local cooperative who are then able to sell it on.
Evidently Bikaner is the largest wool producing area in Asia.
They also made us some millet roti which are eaten there with s small curry- it was delicious.
Went to the fantastic art-deco Raj Mandir cinema in Jaipur. The outside looks rather like a wedding cake and foyer inside is stunning. It was a great experience, seeing the latest Bollywood hit Tiger Zinder Hai on a huge screen. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t understand Hindi, we could work out what was going on. Valerie particularly liked the scene where our hero single handedly fights off a pack of wolves in the snowy Swiss Alps (you’ll just have to see the film).
But what was extraordinary was that I was able to buy the tickets on-line on my phone, and paid for them using my Amazon account. I got a mobile ticket on my phone which I just showed at the door!
We visited a small block printing factory in a village called Bagru near Jaipur where they use a technique called Mud Resist.
Initially they create a paste made of of earth, water, wheat powder and gum A wooden block with a carved pattern is pressed into the paste and then onto white cotton material. Then sawdust is sprinkled on the top and print is left to dry.
The fabric is then dyed in cold dye- first in a solution to enable the dye to take, and then into the dye itself. In this case the dye was made from scraps of iron producing a grey colour.
The process can then be repeated pressing the mud resist solution onto the parts of the fabric which are to be kept at that dyed colour. The whole dying process is repeated as many times as required. Eventually the resist solution is washed off and the printed fabric remains
and of course they had a shop, and of course there was a natural progression
You may have heard of Anokhi shops where they sell beautiful clothes using traditional Indian fabrics for contemporary designs. Well in Jaipur Anokhi have a very interesting museum of hand printing. It’s housed in a beautifully restored haveli and takes you through different printing techniques. They have a collection of fabrics and also have some people giving demonstrations of techniques. One man was doing block printing whilst another was making the wooden blocks used.
Fatehpur Sikri is an ancient fortified city 40km west of Agra built in the 16th century. For a short time it was the capital of the Mughal empire but was abandoned because of lack of water.
It it contains three ‘palaces’, one for each of the three wives of the Emperor Akbar.
We travelled to Agra on a super fast train from Delhi- the Gatimaan Express. It turned out we had tickets in the extremely comfortable executive class which included a complimentary breakfast. This was just as well as we had been picked up from our homestay at 7am.
In this part of our trip organised by a company called ‘India Connections’, we have a driver and car for the next three weeks, and here in Agra we had s guide for the day. First stop was the Taj.
I’ve seen so many pictures of it, but when you’re there it is just exquisitely beautiful.
The One and Only
Our guide, Ricky, told us a lot about the importance of the number four to the Greeks and the Romans and then the Moguls in relation to architecture, symmetry and what is pleasing to the eye. He explained that the Taj complex is made up of combinations of blocks of four.
Agra FortBaby TajWomen waiting for tourist’s photos
Namaste
The colour changes as the day goes onMosaics inside the ‘Baby Taj’
Thrive Seed are a not for profit initiative in Delhi, and Sonu, who runs it is an extraordinary woman. We called in to see her when we visited Delhi.
Sonu came to Delhi from Nepal with her husband and started teaching slum children in a back yard. Most of these children receive no other education as they have to work during the day to help provide for their families. Parents of other children heard about the school and so it grew. She now runs three slum schools which teach Hindi, Maths and English. She also runs women’s empowerment classes where women develop different skills which can assist them in make a living e.g. sewing, candle making.
The project runs purely off donations from individuals, although it is in the process of acquiring FCRA status.
Volunteers are encouraged to go and teach in the school and this helps both with the English teaching and with networking. Valerie’s niece Hana spent three weeks there in November.
To find out more or donate go to the ThriveSeed web site
http://www.thriveseed.org
And the Thrive Seed Facebook page
Valerie and Judy with Sonu
If you can think of any ways in which people over here can help, e.g. in fundraising, volunteering, providing general charity/business expertise – please let me know
We went on a half-day jeep safari in one of the Wayanad national parks. The safari itself was a bit disappointing as we only saw monkeys, deer and bones, but the forest/jungle was beautiful.
Outside the entranceDistant BisonSpot the bisonHere she isSpotted deer
On the way to Jaisalmer we stopped at Barmer to attend a block printing workshop run for us by a small textile printing company called Panihari.
