The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Revival of traditional tie and dye art

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Sunday, Apr 13, 2008
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Revival of traditional tie and dye art

Staff Reporter

Photo: Lingaraj Panda

Back in vogue: Visitors taking a look at the tie-and-dye materials at a shop in Berhampur on Saturday. —

BERHAMPUR: Hopes for the survival of the traditional tie and dye technique have been revived.

The artisans involved in the making of tie and dye fabric say their hopes have rejuvenated as the customers have started to identify the difference between creativity put by the artisans and the similar looking items of mass production through screen printing.

A veteran tie and dye artisan, Muhammad Ishaq from Jodhpur in Rajasthan was in the city along with his wife Jenab Bi to open a stall in the Gramashree Mela organised by the Capart.

Many of the city dwellers have seen the original tie and dye fabrics for the first time so they were comparing it with the similar-looking fabric produced through screen printing, said Mr. Ishaq.

Threat

A connoisseur of dress materials can identify the intrinsic artistry that is involved in the making of original tie and dye designs on fabric within a few minutes. Ms. Janeb said during the recent past they faced immense threat from fabric baring designs of tie and dye, which were being produced in large scale by screen printing. In a day a large family of tie and dye artisans can at most produce 100 meters of material.

But more than 1,000 meters of material with similar designs can be produced through screen printing by using chemical colours are used for screen printing.

Traditional tie and dye artisans still use vegetable dyes, which have a different lustre. “The designs are monotonous on fabrics coloured through screen printing while a tie and dye artisan continues to innovate and create designs,” said Mr Ishaq. According to Mr. Ishaq in recent years the customers of the new generations seem to be identifying this difference and prefer to buy the originals.

The change in the trend has brought new hope for the artisan families like that of Mr. Ishaq, who happens to be the eldest among eight brothers, whose whole family is involved in this artistry on fabric. “We are the twelfth generation into this profession and our next generations would carry on this profession as we feel demand for creativity never dies,” they said.

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