LESSON 12 BANDHANI - e

LESSON 12
BANDHANI
STRUCTURE
12.0
OBJECTIVES
12.1
INTRODUCTION
12.2
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
12.3
RAW MATERIALS
12.4
PROCESS
12.5
REGIONS
12.5.1
12.5.2
RAJASTHAN
GUJARAT
12.6
CHANGE IN RECENT YEARS
12.7
ASSIGNMENTS
12.7.1
12.7.2
CLASS ASSIGNMENTS
HOME ASSIGNMENTS
12.8
SUMMING UP
12.9
POSSIBLE ANSWERS TO SELF-CHECK QUESTIONS
12.10
TERMINAL QUESTIONS
12.11
REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED FURTHER READING
12.12
GLOSSARY
12. BANDHANI
In the previous lesson we had studied about Patola where the yarn is tied and
dyed. In this lesson we will learn about another technique called ‘Bandhani’, where
the fabric itself undergoes the tie-dye process. This technique is popular in
Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Bandhani is a tedious process which demands time and patience. Here the
fabric is knotted tightly with thread in a pattern and dyed repeatedly to produce the
design. The tied parts do not take the colour and so the design is produced.
12.0
Objectives
After going through this lesson you will:
12.1
•
Gain a basic understanding about the history, origins and regions where
Bandhani craft is practiced.
•
Gain an understanding about the raw materials and the process of
Bandhani tie and dye.
Introduction
Rajasthan, the vibrant and colourful state of India, has a rich heritage that
attracts tourists from all across the world. The state has not only conserved but also
nurtured its ancient heritage of art, dance, music and crafts. One of the more famous
textile art forms of Rajasthan is Bandhani, that is, the art of printing varied patterns
on fabric using the Tie and Dye method. The Tie and Dye technique used on fabrics
is no doubt a very old process for patterning textiles and the term Bandhani denotes
both the textiles and the technique of tying before dyeing.
Bandhani is the expression used in Gujarat
for textiles in which extremely delicate and intricate
designs are produced by tying individual parts of the
fabric before dyeing. The process entails folding the
cloth, stamping the design on it, bunching minute
portions of it along the design outlines, and tying each
one of these with cotton yarn. This first set of ties is
then dyed in the lightest colour, usually yellow. After
rinsing and drying, the worker ties the fabric for the
next darker colour, perhaps red or green. Again there
is a renewal of the tying until the darkest parts are
dyed and the entire design is complete. The cloth
used for bandhani is thin cotton or malmal, georgette
and silk (Fig. 12.1). The people of Gujarat engaged in
making designs on fabric using the technique of tie
and dyeing are known as Bandhani.
Fig. 12.1
12.2
Historical Background
In contrast to Patola, very little research has
been done on the history of Bandhani textiles. The tiedye technique used on fabrics is a very old process for
patterning textiles, and the technique of tying before
dyeing. We can read about the Bandhani in ancient
literature, both Sanskrit and Prakrit.
One of the earliest references to bandhani
fabrics is in Bana’s Harshacharita or life of king Harsha
(606-648 AD). These garments are similar to those
illustrated on Ajanta wall paintings (Fig. 12.2), where
maidservants wear blouse with clearly tie-dye patternslarge bright dots and rings on transparent dark violet
fabrics.
Fig. 12.2 Bandhani in Ajanta
wall paintings
Self-check Questions
1.
What do you understand by the term Bandhani?
2.
Fill in the blanks:
Bandhani is the expression used in _________ for textiles in which extremely
________ and _________ designs are produced by tying individual parts of
the fabric before dyeing.
12.3 Raw Materials
The fabrics used for Bandhani are muslin, handloom, silk or voile.
Traditionally, vegetable dyes were used but today chemical dyes are becoming very
popular. Various synthetic fabrics are also highly in demand. Mostly, cotton thread is
used for tying the fabric.
Fig. 12.3 Ari and gota
work in bandhani
The dominant colours in Bandhani are bright like
yellow, red, green and pink, maroon is also popular.
However, with changing times, as Bandhani has become a
part of fashion, various pastel colours and shades are
being used. The intricacy of the design varies according to
the region and demand. Bandhani forms the basic pattern
on the fabric which is decorated further by various
embroideries. Aari and gota work are traditional
embroideries done in zari and are popular with Bandhani
(Fig.12.3). These days a lot of ornamentation is done on
Bandhani fabric to make it dressy and glittery for
ceremonial occasions.
12.4
Process
The process, though relatively simple, is very time-consuming and highly
skilled. The tying of the fabric is mostly carried out by women or young girls. The
material generally used is a thin loosely woven silk known as georgette or cotton
known as Malmal (Fig. 12.4).
Tyeing knot in the fabric
prior to dyeing
Dyeing the cloth
Dyed and printed cloth
washed in the pond
Fig. 12.4 Bandhani process
•
In this rather elaborate process the fabric is carefully folded and twisted first
across its length and then its breadth. In the traditional technique the pattern
is laid out on nails set upon a wooden block over which the dampened cloth is
placed and then pinched-up. The patterns emerge by means of carefully
pinch-knotting fabric parts using cotton thread. The craftsperson then pulls on
a small area of the fabric where each hole is placed and winds the thread
tightly around the protruding cloth to form a knot or bindi.
•
After tying the knots the fabric is thoroughly washed.
•
The fabric is then dyed; the dyeing is done in stages starting with the paler
shades and moving onto the darker ones.
•
The cloth is dipped in yellow or another light colour for two minutes. Next, it is
rinsed, squeezed, dried and then tied again and dipped in a darker colour.
This is kept for three to four hours (without opening the knots) to allow the
colour to soak in.
During this process the small area beneath the thread resists the dye leaving
an un-dyed dot.
•
After the last dyeing process has been completed the fabric is washed and
dried. The folds are pulled apart in a particular way releasing the knots and
revealing their pattern. The result is a deep-coloured cloth with dots of various
colours forming a pattern.
Very elaborate motifs are made in tie-anddye work. These include flowers, creepers, bells
and jalas (Fig. 12.5). Knots are placed in clusters
each with a different name, for example, a single
dot is called Ekdali, three knots is called Trikunti
and four knots is called Chaubundi. Such clusters
are worked intricately into patterns such as
Shikargah (mountain-like), Jaaldar (web-like),
Beldaar (vine-like) etc.
Fig. 12.5 Elaborate motifs
Bandhani is considered to be the most
important of the crafts in Kutch in terms of
employment. More than 10,000 people are
employed in making bandhani.
The intricacy of the pattern depends on the skill of the craftsperson, the
number of knots and the fineness of the cloth. A saree made of georgette can give
up to 40,000 knots whereas a woven woollen shawl may have less than 100 knots
only.
Geometric designs are possible, but most of the cottons and silks carry
motifs such as peacocks, elephants, fruits and interlocking circle patterns. Kutchi
craftspeople are said to have the best skills for the very fine work. Sarees, shawls,
odhanis and cloth lengths to be made into clothes, are the main products.
Self-check Questions
3.
Which thread is used for tying the fabric in Bandhani?
4.
Fill in the blanks:
The intricacy of the pattern depends on the skill of the ____________, the
number of ______ and the fineness of the _________. A saree made of
georgette can give up to ________ knots whereas a woven woollen shawl
may have less than ____ knots only.
12.5
Regions
The bandhani is known as chunari in Rajasthani or chundali in Gujarati. The
best known and largest bandhani workshops are found in Saurashtra, particularly in
Jamnagar. It is said that the water there can bring forth the brightest red. Therefore,
the dyeing is often done in Jamnagar, while the tying is done in smaller centers in
nearby towns. Other traditional centers of bandhani work are found in Kutch, where
the patterns are generally finer and more traditional than those of Saurashtra.
Rajasthan also has a number of bandhani production centers. The technique is also
found in parts of Madhya Pradesh and Madurai in South India.
12.5.1 Rajasthan
The art of Bandhani is practiced widely in Rajasthan; the main centers being
the cities are Barmer, Jaipur, Sikar, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Nathdwara and Bikaner.
Bandhani comes in a variety of designs, colours and motifs and these variations are
region-specific. Each district has its own distinct method of Bandhini which makes
the pattern recognizable and gives it a different name.
Rajasthan has developed a different range of colours, and has mastered
another technique in which the background is in light colour while the patterns are in
dark colours. This is done by dyeing sections of the saree in the desired colour with
the use of a piece of a felt and then tying. The cloth is bleached and only the tied
sections retain the colours. After this is the background colour is dyed and the
finished bandhani emerges, with dark coloured doted pattern on a light background
(Fig.12. 8). The red chundari, which is used as a veil by young married women in
rural areas, is never dyed in fast colours bandhanis.
12.5.2 Gujarat
Saurashtra has important bandhani centers such as
Jamnagar and Rajkot. Kutch produces the finest bandhanis in
India. Mandvi and Bhuj are important bandhani producing
centers. The Khatri community of dyers is known for their fine
quality of work. They control the trade and the craft,
purchasing and processing the material themselves. The dress
of the Khatri women, the aba, loose-fitting dress hanging
straight from the shoulders without a waist, carries the finest
bandhani (Fig. 12.6). It is tied and dyed at the neck, the side
Fig. 12.6 Gujarati Aba
openings, the lover border and the sleeves.
The Gharchola is a saree traditionally woven for a
Gujurati bride’s wedding and is traditionally bought for her by
her bridegroom (Fig. 12.7). The Gharchola generally has a
square of gold thread, with a small ethnic motif or an
auspicious symbol like a lotus or a peacock embroidered in
gold in the centre. The Gharchola has intricately woven zari
designs within the square. Most Gharcholas have traditional
patterns such as “bavan bagh” or Fifty-Two Gardens, “Ras
Leela” or the depiction of Lord Krishna dancing with his Gopis,
etc.
Fig. 12.7 Gharchola
The simple tie and dye patterns worked on the ordhnis used by the different
tribes are produced in a large number of centres. The Bhil wear a brilliant red ordhni
with black borders and roundels. The Rathwa community also wears a similarly style
ordhni, though of a thicker material. The nomadic Rabaris and Bharwads, who keep
sheep and use their own wool, also have tie and dye ordhnis and skirts which are
worn by married women. The main colour worn by the Rabaris are black with red or
maroon tie and dye worked in simple patterns. The Bhawards have more elaborate
design with bordered running the length of the ordhni while the body has elaborate
patterns of parrot, women and trees, as well as flowers. The colour is generally a
deep russet brown with the designs worked in yellow, green and orange.
Fig. 12.8 Leheria
One of the most popular results of this process is the
design known as the Leheriya (Fig. 12.8), which literally means
waves of the sea and shimmers before you as enchantingly as
the rippling waters of an ocean in bands of two, five
(panchrangi) or seven (saptarangi) colours. India produces a
huge variety of designs rendered by this process, from
geometrical patterns, flowers and creepers to animals, birds,
kites and dolls in colours deliberately contrasted with the
background colour.
In this rather elaborate process the fabric is carefully folded and twisted first
across its length and then its breadth. In the towns of Bhuj, Anjar and Mandvi, the
Muslim Khatri communities have many families running businesses that carry out the
whole process. Some of these businesses work for dealers, others have their own
retail and wholesale outlets. By controlling the whole process they have been less
prone to exploitation and some have become relatively well off.
Self-check Questions
5.
What do you understand by the term Gharchola?
6.
Fill in the blanks:
Saurashtra has important Bandhani centres such as __________ and
________. Kutch produces the finest __________ in India. _________and
_______ are important Bandhani producing centres.
12.6
Changes in Recent Years
The majority of the market is in Gujarat
where most women wear Bandhani saris, shawls
or odhnis. The odhnis are also decorated with
mirrors, gota and tassels to give it a richer and
more decorative look, but bandhani is also known
throughout India. However, with the advent of the
cheaper process of silk-screen printing (Fig.
12.9), many of the poorer women now wear
printed cloth with a bandhani design. These are
made by a group of people who originally came
Fig. 12.9 Silk screen printing
from Saurashtra. It was considered essential to wear a tie and dye sari at the time of
marriage.
Many of those involved in Bandhani production are dependant on dealers
from Jamnagar and Rajkot (in Saurashtra) and Ahmedabad. Because of the skills in
Kutch, the dealers send agents to the towns of Kutch to give cloth, with the designs
already marked out, and thread to men and women to carry over the tying process.
The workers are paid by the kadi (four knots). In an eight-hour working day, a worker
may complete up to 800 kadi on silk or 1200 on cotton. The finest sarees may take
up to 12 days to knot.
Dealers have better dyeing facility in their own towns so the knotted cloth is
taken back and dyed. The workers therefore, never see their finished work. Without
any union organization, these workers are in general very low paid and are exploited.
Sales go up during the festive and wedding seasons in India.
12.7
Assignments
12.7.1 Class assignments
i)
Make a replica on a drawing sheet of Bandhani dupatta.
ii)
Draw sketches of various motifs used in Bandhani.
12.7.2 Home assignment
i)
12.8
Find samples of Bandhani fabrics in your house, a sari shop, books,
magazines and internet which represent different Bandhani styles and
techniques of you have studies so far. Paste them neatly on clear pages
with labels under each photo or picture.
Summing Up
Bandhani is one of the most famous textile art forms of Rajasthan. It is the
art of printing varied patterns on fabrics using the tie and dye method. The fabrics
used for Bandhani are muslin, silk and voile. Cotton thread is used for tying the
fabric. The process involves folding the fabric carefully first across the length and
then along the width. Pattern is laid by tying individual areas of the fabric with cotton
thread before dyeing. The area below the thread resists the dye, leaving undyed
dots. The fabric is washed, and the knots opened to reveal the pattern. The intricacy
of the pattern depends on the skill of the craftsman, number of knots and fineness of
the cloth.
Dominant colours are yellow, red and pink. The basic pattern formed on the
fabric bytie and dyeing is further decorated with various embroideries. aari and gota
works in Zari are popular with Bandhani.
There are many Bandhani production centres in Rajasthan and Gujarat with
their distinctive features. The largest Bandhani workshop is in Jamnagar, in
Saurashtra.
12.9
Possible Answers to Self-check Questions
1.
The term Bandhani denotes both the textiles and the technique of tying
before dyeing.
2.
Bandhani is the expression used in Gujarat for textiles in which extremely
delicate and intricate designs are produced by tying individual parts of the
fabric before dyeing.
3.
Cotton thread is used for tying the fabric before dying in Bandhani.
4.
The intricacy of the pattern depends on the skill of the craftsperson, the
number of knots and the fineness of the cloth. A saree made of georgette
can give up to 40,000 knots whereas a woven woollen shawl may have less
than 100 knots only.
5.
Gharchola is a Saree traditionally woven for Gujrati brides wedding and is
bought for her by the bride groom.
6.
Saurashtra has important bandhani centers such as Jamnagar and Rajkot.
Kutch produces the finest bandhanis in India. Mandvi and Bhuj are important
bandhani producing centres.
12.10 Terminal Questions
1.
Fill in the blanks:
i) The term __________ denotes both the both textiles and the technique
of tying before dyeing.
ii) The cloth used for Bandhani is ________, _________ and silk.
iii) Mostly _______________ thread is used for tying the fabric.
iv) Traditional costume worm by the women of kutch is __________.
v) Traditional woven saree for a Gujarat bride’s wedding is known as
_________.
vi) Tie and dye technique is also use in Tamil Nadu for _____________
sarees.
vii) The dyeing is done in stages starting with the _________ shades to
________ ones.
2.
Comment whether the following statements are True or False:
i) One of the most famous textile art forms of Rajasthan is Bandhani.
True / False
ii) Aari and gota work are traditional dyeing method.
True / False
iii) Bandhani is a new resist-dyeing technique.
True / False
iv) The Khatri community of dyers is known for their fine quality of tie and
dye of work.
True / False
v) The Gharchola has intricately woven zari designs within the square.
True / False
vi) Tying work sketching a design with red chalk or geru.
True / False
vii) The main centre of Gharchola sarees is in Kutch.
True / False
viii)The Chaniya Choli traditional costume consist tree pieces.
True / False
3.
What do you understand by the term Bandhani?
4.
Which cloth is used for Bandhani work?
5.
Where are the Bandhani practiced in Rajasthan & Gujarat?
6.
When does the sale of Bandhani work go up?
7.
Write a short note on Leheriya?
8.
Explain the process of Bandhani?
9.
Describe the Gharchola?
10. In which technique Rajasthan craftsman has mastered?
11. Write the note on recent condition of Bandhani & its worker.
12. How the motifs are made in tie-dye work and which kind of patterns are
made?
12.11 References and Suggested Further Reading
1.
Buhler, A. and Oth. 1980. Indian Tie-Dyed Fabrics – Historic Textile of India.
Calico Museum., Ahmedabad.
2.
Colchester, C. The New Textiles Trends + Traditions. Thames and Hudson
Ltd., London.
3.
Gillow, J. and Barnard, N. 1991. Traditional Indian Textiles. Thames and
Hudson Ltd., London.
4. Hatanaka, K. Textile Arts of India. Chronicle Books, San Francisco.
5. Kothari, G. 1995. Colourful Textiles of Rajasthan. Jaipur Printers Pvt. Ltd.,
Jaipur.
6. Murphy, V. and Crill, R. 1991. Tie-Dyed Textiles of India – Tradition and
Trade. Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad.
7. Singh, M. 2000. Handcrafted Indian Textiles: Tradition and Beyond. Roli
Books, New Delhi.
12.12 Glossary
1.
Vibrant
Full of enthusiasm
2.
Dampened
Make less strong or intense
3.
Protruding
Stick out from a surface
4.
Roundels
Small discs
5.
Tassels
one end
Decorative tuft of threads knotted at