Kamanuddin doesn’t enjoy being observed as he works. Yet the bearded septuagenarian remains composed as he bends over a stretch of long white fabric, firmly holding a wooden block in his wrinkled, stained hands as he continues with what he does best—blockprinting. The indigo-colored motif he’s just stamped seems to almost glisten under the sunlight streaming in through the large windows behind him. Kamanuddin has spent over 40 years working as a professional blockprinter. He is one of the twelve kaarigars (meaning “artisan” in Hindi) at Mumbai blockprinting workshop Pracheen, the only one in the city that continues to use natural dyes. 

Occupying a space of 2200 sq feet, the workshop and store is tucked away on the fourth floor of a rundown building situated in the narrow bylanes of Damar Galli off of Mumbai’s Mohammad Ali Road. Yet the small unit embodies the artistic spirit of Ajrakh, a distinctive form of blockprinting found in Pakistan, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and India; Ajrakh prints echo the complex patterns of Islamic architecture, such as jali windows and trefoil arches. In recent years, these designs have even found their way into high fashion. Traditionally, Ajrakh has always used natural dyes that require effort and resources, rendering it expensive. To reduce costs, many have turned to chemical dyes to produce Ajrakh designs on the cheap.

While some Ajrakh craftsmen still use natural dyes in rural parts of the country, ‘Pracheen’ is the only space to do so in the entirety of Mumbai. “Our processes and methods are derived from Ajrakh block printing. However our designs are original,” says Ahmed Khatri,  the 64-year-old owner of Pracheen. As the fourth-generation in his family to block print, it was his great grandfather who migrated to Mumbai from the Kutch region in Western India and opened Pracheen almost 100 years ago. Pracheen, meaning ‘ancient’ in Hindi, has become a particularly fitting name for the shop.

Ahmed Khatri has fond memories of his childhood, which—when not in school—was spent learning the craft of blockprinting. “My father used to blockprint with chemical colors, but a client suggested we use natural dyes,” he says. “It was with his references that I connected with a man in Ahmedabad named Toofan Rafai, an expert in natural dyes in India. He was the man who taught me about the process of making natural dyes.”

Since then, Pracheen has only used natural dyes made in-house. Explaining the key difference between chemical and natural dyes, Khatri says, “Chemical colors produce loud shades whereas natural colors produce more earthy, soothing shades like that of henna or indigo as they are derived from various vegetables, roots, fruits, flower-saps, and herbs.”

Having stuck with natural dyes for the past 30 years, Pracheen has earned a reputation with a niche set of clientele that includes international designer labels and boutique shops across the country. Ahmed Khatri runs the workshop and showroom with his son, Sarfraz Khatri, who has worked in Pracheen since he was a teenager. “One day I came to the unit and my father gave me tiny pieces of cloth and natural dyes to play around with,” he says. “I started mixing dyes randomly to create shades and got interested in natural dyes. My father has always taught me to keep innovating. This approach as well as using natural dyes means none of our designs and shades is the same—and that is the magic of Pracheen.” Now 40 year old, Khatri has played a major role in making Pracheen the brand that it is today. The 12 kaarigars, some of them having spent decades working at Pracheen, are equally instrumental to the shop’s success of course, and together, they’ve become a family of sorts.

“Blockprinting using natural dyes is a tedious, labor-intensive process; one piece takes at least around two months to prepare,” says Sarfraz. “The color needs to be extracted from the roots and mixed with minerals. The fabric then needs to be dipped in the dye, washed thoroughly, and kept in the sun for eight to ten days. The blocks themselves also require intricate design work. The first block creates the background, followed by an outline and three to four inner fillings. It’s important for the shape of the blocks and the pressure applied to be even. If they’re uneven then one spot comes off darker than the rest. This consistency requires experience, craftsmanship, and a composed focus. This is why we never coerce our craftsmen to give us quantity, but quality.”

The craftsmen echo Sarfraz’s sentiments. Their oldest kaarigar, Jalaluddin, has worked at Pracheen for 50 years, starting when he was only 13. He says that each print requires effort, passion, and cannot be hurried. Another kaarigar, 62-year-old Salim Ahmed too holds Prachin very close to his heart. “I learned the craft here and have been working here all my life,” he says. “Our seth (boss) makes the colors and we print them. I cannot imagine doing anything else.”

The workshop is abuzz with activity as the attentive craftsmen move around the space, preparing fabric, readying dyes, and grabbing blocks. The wall shelves are stacked with about a hundred thousand wooden blocks, some of which are almost a century old and have been revived through repair or a replica copy. “We also make new blocks to keep innovating our designs,” Sarfraz adds.

In a world of digital printing and cheap chemical dyes, it hasn’t been easy remaining insistent on block printing with natural dyes. The time, effort and passion put into this craft are often overlooked by the masses. The Khatris admit that it has been hard competing with mass production. However, awareness around sustainability and ethical fashion has increased in the last decade, which has been encouraging for Pracheen. With this movement, the owners have found renewed faith in their craft. “In 1997, I was invited for a Shibori Exhibition hosted by the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, Gujarat,” Ahmed Khatri recalls. “We had made 25-30 dupattas, stoles, and scarves. Within a few hours, by the grace of God, we were sold out. After that day my confidence just grew and I’ve never looked back.”

Being situated in Mumbai, the hub of Bollywood and Indian fashion; Pracheen’s approach and work ethic has also been recognized by local and international designers alike. One of them being renowned Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani, who, as Ahmed Khatri recounts, would spend entire days with them discussing fabric, design, and craft.

Other designers who have visited Pracheen include Donna Karen from DKNY, Yohji Yamamoto, and more. Pracheen’s craft collection in collaboration with designer Anjali Patel Mehta of Studio Verandah was also part of the Lakme Fashion Week’s Sustainable Fashion Day event Craft Is Cool, which introduced the traditional craftsmen to many more contemporary designers.

In a country that hasn’t had much public investment, incentive, or infrastructure for indigenous art forms to thrive, this was a particularly important event. These arts, , including block printing, are becoming more and more obsolete as younger generations seem unwilling to carry the torch. Blockprinting, unfortunately, also does not escape this fate. Kamaluddin’s son looks forward to getting a service-based job and Jalaluddin’s sons are not interested in getting into the field.

With the onset of the sustainable fashion movement, Sarfraz feels that traditional blockprinting still has huge potential and can make a comeback. “We need more encouragement and platforms for indigenous artists to exhibit their work so that they can claim their craft and agency,” he says.

In that hope, Pracheen continues stamping its legacy; hoping that the ‘ancient’ can become just as relevant in the future.

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Website: www.pracheen.com

Contributor: Devyani Nighoskar
Photographer: Rashi Arora