Little bit of India Series : Roghan art

     Image courtesy: The Better India.com rogan-art-3

Rogan Art: a forgotten melody of colors…

Written by: Nayana Mhatre

India being a land of cultural heritage has versatile arts milieu, housed variety of traditional folk arts and skills. Arts & crafts of India have undergone many changes over the period of time. A design professional enjoys connecting to the art & design of various places. This is a small series of articles concentrating on extinct going art forms, textiles and surface ornamentation techniques.

Rogan printing practiced over more than 300 years. Kutch takes away the crown as this is one of the rarest of folk arts, where the artist directly paints on fabric without drawing and sketching the base. One privileged visit to witness the demo & information by Mr. Abdul Gafoor Khatri on a study tour to Kutch, in 2009 was an edifying experience.  Khatri Abdul Gafoor Daud, was awarded with National Award, as master craftsman, in 1997. Indian Prime minister, Mr. Narendra Modi gifted US President, Mr. Barak Obama with this unique art form frames in October 2014 on his visit to India. Sadly with time this beautiful art form is leading to extinction.
https://www.thebetterindia.com/60969/gujarat-rogan-art-modi-obama-nirona/

Khosi Garment from Sindh, Pakistan.

History

The said art form is practiced by only Khatris in Nirona, Kutch for generations in India. The origin of Rogan art routes to Persia, as the design influence focuses on Islamic patterns. But no reliable references are found to confirm the same. The beautiful and unique folk art, is from Nirona, Kutch. The said art form goes back to the ancient times, practiced by Muslims from not only Kutch, but also Peshawar, Pattan & Lahore. Probably the families exercising this printing technique belong to Pathan community at large, who came to India from, Sindh, Pakistan. The roots of this beautiful art form show trails to Iran, as roghan, in Persian, means, Varnish or oil based. Presently, only Khatris are practicing this art form in Nirona from last 40 years.

Rogan, The art form incorporates designs created by using natural dye paste with threadlike consistency. The vibrant design is created on a dark color base fabric. Sir George Watt found the reference of similar art form being practiced in the above mentioned regions in 1930. Yacopino F., Auther,“Thread lines Pakistan” mentions, afridi wax cloth was sold in the markets of Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi, known as “Khosi”,  Referring to “Khosai” dress of afridi women. With the history of more  than 300 hundred years, generation after generations practiced this beautiful art form and kept it alive. Practiced in Nirona, Nakhatrana (Kutch), was “seasonal work” (3 -4 months) in the wedding period among the Dalits and Ahirs. As the lower castes could not afford embroidery, the bridal trousseau was made with this art form. Thus this art form was not appreciated by higher castes. Once the wedding season was over, the artisans would go back to agriculture. 

Rogan Making Process

Rogan / Roghan as mentioned in multiple written materials, a thick paste, acquired by boiling oil of safflower, castor or linseed for minimum 12 hours at 200 Degree Celsius or more and then poured into cold water. This procedure forming thick residue gives the base which later on mixed with chalk, colored pigment and a binding agent. Originally the colors were extracted from flowers, plants, soil & rocks,with new developments the artisans started using readymade pigments. Nowadays the oil is acquired directly from local market, due to high level of skills and dexterity. The pigment once ready needs to be kept in water, to maintain the moisture in it.  

Rogan Storage Containers & Pigments
The containers used prior for the storage were metal but over the period of time it shifted to plastic. The said containers have multiple compartments to store different colors. These container's compartments are filled halfway with water to retain the moisture in the colors. This Paste can be stored  this way for one and half month to 2 months, after which it dries.

 

Image Courtesy: colouricious.com Image Courtesy: Gaatha.com

Rogan Fabric

Prior khaddar was used for Rogan painting as the Base Fabric. The base was used of darker shades to enhance the vibrancy of the pigments. as it was used by the bides of lower cast, their vibrancy appealed to the customer.  Now as per the market demands it is done on variety of fabrics like, Denim, cotton, silk and polyester, etc.

Image Courtesy : Gaatha.com  

Rogan Tools

 

                    Image Courtesy: The Better India.com

The main equipment used for painting is the Kalam, an iron stylus. Prior the stylus had thick tip, but now it is pointed as it helps produce more intricate patterns. It measure about 6 inches- 7 inches in length and has a pointed working end.The pigment were stored in a mental containers in past with water, so it retains the moisture. 

 Image Courtesy: The Better India.com

Making of the paste
Earlier fire used to be lit digging a place in the ground to create a chullha. Big earthen pots were use to make big quantities of Rogan. The risk factor involved of earthen pots bursting due to high temperature, lead the artisans to shift to metal pots. Similarly nowadays iron chullhas available in market are used. Aluminum pots became a preferred choice of the artisans due to its high heat conduction properties.

Mixing Dye in the paste

Pigment is added to the Rogan paste is at ratio 2 : 1  with small measure of lime for making smooth paste. It is then rolled together till the rogan paste acquires smooth pasty texture and the pigment color. Later the ready colors are needed to be kept in bowls containing water, as water prevents it from drying.

Image Courtesy: WalkThroughIndia.com

Rogan Painting

This art form is beautiful example of hand painting. No tracing or base drawing is done before the application of Rogan. It’s an art form based on the spontaneity and creativity of the artisan. It is like the artisan is weaving dreams  on the fabric for the bride to be. Watching the process of rogan art taking place is like experiencing the poet's new stanza which will have meaning every time it touches the fabric.

The pigment blob is taken on the hand and with the help of iron stylus tread like consistency is acquired of the same. The artisan uses the other hand’s finger movements below fabric and compliments the movement of stylus to create beautiful designs. Then the design is dabbed with wet fingers as this process helps the Rogan to be absorbed in the fabric and hold on to it. On the completion of the  design development on half part of the fabric, the other half is folded and pressure is applied on it. This helps the design to transfer on other side of the cloth, deriving mirror effect.

Designs and Motifs

Prior the designs were an assortment of simple geometric patterns to variety of floral, human, plants, animals and birds motifs with lifestyle and religious influences.

Chauphulla, marigold flower (ghonta), Paisley (keri), Panfarei (Floral Borders), Single farei (Seed pod & Flower), Phullivel, Kangsi (Comb Parttern), Popat Gulvel ( Parrot & Flowers).

Popat, Haathi - with  or without ambadi, Maharanin – two women wearing ghaghras, chunaris, churning curd with raviya, Garud or angel.

Tree of life – most preferred design. catering to the taste of international clientele.

Roghan Products: 

Anciently products made by Rogan artists were limited like odhana, ghaghara, and bridal trousseau, upholstery i.e. wall hangings, etc.With increasing demands for the art , saris, dress materials, file covers, cushion covers, bed sheets, bed cover and table cloth, clutches etc. joined the new array of products.

Rogan Artists – The Khatris

Image Courtesy: as shared by the Artisans

Due to the near extinction of the said art, artisans started opting out of Rogan practice. Being seasonal occupation it didn’t help the artisans to provide for their families. Even Abdul Gafoor Daud shifted the base to Ahmadabad and later to Mumbai in the wake of better career opportunities. But to fulfill the wish of his ailing father to keep this art alive, he returned back to Bhuj again joined hands with Rogan Painting. Not looking back since then, got this art form an International acclaim, which won him an National Award  in 1997. 

Abdul Gafoor Khatri is training the women of Nirona with the help of an non – profit organization and spreading awareness about this unique art.   

Press Releases

INDIA TODAY – Offtrack ,Bhuj -  Dec. 2005

The Afternoon -  Sept. 28, 2008

Harmony , Celebrate Age, February 2016

The Times Of India -  Oct. 4, 2014

As shared by the Artisan

        

Artists Quots

"Unlike other art traditions, rogan painting never enjoyed the patronage of the rich and the royalty," Hamid Ali, another painter points out. "Our clients were women from the lower castes who could not pay much. They came to us to get clothes painted for weddings. And once the weddings were over, the rogan artisans switched to working as agricultural labor.“

Hamid too had been tempted several times to abandon rogan painting, but it is the pride he derives from his work that keeps him going. "The creative satisfaction I get from here is without match," he emphasises. "I enjoy inventing new designs and letting my imagination run wild."
"The reason is that there are not enough rogan artists around to meet the demands of the tourist traffic," explains Hashim. "People make do with prints. Unless something concrete is done to train new artisans, this art will vanish forever." 

"We have started training the women from the village to cater to the increasing demand of the art and it gives them financial suppert and empowerment too".  "The more intricate the work, the higher the price," explains Abdul Gafoor Khatri. "My national award winning saree, which took eight months to paint, was valued at Rs 60,000. One American tourist offered me Rs 100,000 for the same saree, but I did not part with it for emotional reasons.“

Conclusion

Rogan being an ancient craft and manual hard work, became expensive compared to the print options available in the market. The making of Rogan product is a time consuming as well as laborious process. Being an extinct going art form, the artisans cannot completely depend on it as main income source. They have to opt for other occupations along with keeping this art form alive for the design generations to come. The tedious process involved in the making of Rogan needs to be worked upon and made simpler too. The technological development should be used for the solution building for such art forms conservation. And changes should be applied to reduce the complexity of the art and enhance the business prospects for the said art form and artisans.

Survival of the Art forms and artisans is also a form of Sustainability, we all i.e., industry, academia and government should look into.

Bibliography

 Crafts of India, Handmade in India, Editors: Aditi Ranjan / M P Ranajn.

Traditional Indian Textiles, John Gillow, Nicholas Barnard.

A visual Guide to Traditional Techniques, World Textiles, John Gillow and Bryan Sentence.

PRESERVING THE HERITAGE: A CASE STUDY OF HANDICRAFTS OF SINDH (PAKISTAN)

TESI DI DOTTORATO DI FARAH DEEBA KHAN

Anon., Painted & Printed, The India Magazine of her people and culture, Gujarat, India 54 - 57 (1995)

 Mahurkar U., Golden Legacy, Offtrack Bhuj, India today, Bhuj, 11, (2009).

http://www.craftrevival.org/CraftArtDetails.asp?CountryCode=India&CraftCode=002897

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=IK3RAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=afridi+wax+cloth&source=bl&ots=fHmSpFxtVc&sig=kWDB_0s8_2XPwXNZs6lOPNlXMHE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiolaO87szYAhXKpY8KHWfQB3UQ6AEIOzAI#v=onepage&q&f=false the indian museum

file:///C:/Users/Nayana/Downloads/Tesi.KHAN%20farah%20Deeba.%20Matricolo%20955339%20ciclo%2022.pdfpg 10

 http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020901/spectrum/heritage.htm

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kutch-family-that-kept-alive-rogan-art-form-hopes-to-benefit-from-tourist-attention/1/192417.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/08/arts/08iht-sckutch08.htm

http://gaatha.com/rogan-art-kutch-gujarat/
https://www.thebetterindia.com/60969/gujarat-rogan-art-modi-obama-nirona/