Ajrakh Print: The Indigo Block Print of Kutch

What is ajrakh print?

Ajrakh is a deep blue, red and black block-printed cotton from Kutch, and from Sindh across the border. It is printed by the Khatri community, whose families have done this work for generations. They worked first in the village of Dhamadka. After the 2001 earthquake, they also built a new village for the craft and named it Ajrakhpur.

Ajrakh meaning

There are two stories about the name. One says it comes from azrak, the Arabic and Persian word for blue, the main colour of the cloth. The other says it comes from aaj rakh, "keep it today", because a good ajrakh is worn for years and gets better with age. Both may be true.

How ajrakh is made

Ajrakh is slow work. It is a resist print, which means some parts of the cloth are covered so they do not take the dye.

1. The cotton is washed, then soaked in myrobalan, a fruit that helps it take dye. 2. Outlines are printed with a paste of lime and gum that blocks the dye. 3. Another block prints a mordant that fixes the red colour where it lands. 4. The cloth is dyed in indigo, washed, then dyed in madder for the reds. 5. It is washed in the river and dried in the sun.

Some steps are repeated. A traditional ajrakh goes through 14 to 16 steps and takes two to three weeks. The finest pieces are printed on both sides so exactly that the pattern matches front and back.

The wooden blocks are carved by hand from teak. The patterns are geometric, like stars, trefoils and lattices, in the Islamic style, because the craft came with traders and settlers from the west.

Ajrakh colours

• Blue: natural indigo.
• Red: madder root and alizarin.
• Black: iron and jaggery.

The colours sink into the fibre instead of sitting on top. That is why old ajrakh looks soft and loved, not faded.

How to wear and wash ajrakh

Ajrakh is cotton, so it is best in hot weather. An ajrakh chaniya, or an ajrakh dupatta over a plain choli, is one of the few Navratri looks that stays cool at eleven at night. Wash it in cold water, on its own, for the first few washes.