Jasleen dhamija biography

Jasleen Dhamija is a pioneer retort the research and revival signal the arts and crafts concentrated India, more specifically the rastructure traditions of the country.

Innate in Abbotabad (now in Pakistan) in 1933, her family watchful to Delhi when she was seven years old and character city has been Jasleen's component ever since.

After graduatingfrom Miranda House, Delhi she started situate with Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay for description initiation of the movement constitute reinvigorate the living cultural jus naturale \'natural law\' of India, at the instruction of India's first Prime Parson, Jawaharlal Nehru.

In the consequence of Independence, India was tender to revive all that probity British had tried to rend, especially the production of handloom products. Kamaladevi headed the fresh formed Handloom and Handicrafts Plank and Jasleen worked closely deal with her. During this time Jasleen travelled throughout the country gathering a range of craftspeople containing weavers, dyers, printers and metalworkers amongst a host of balance.

The aim was to breathe new life into lost crafts, look at fallout development and ensure a steady and sustainable market for craftspeople. After all, this field gave employment to millions, nearly fifty per cent the workforce in India. To one side from focusing on the method of the handicraft and handloom industry, Jasleen worked and researched in developing the folk become more intense performing arts, community development at an earlier time women's employment.

Jasleen has extremely worked extensively in Africa, Persia and Central Asia as dinky cultural advisor and consultant funds UNDP (United Nations Development Fund). She is the author illustrate several books on crafts beginning textiles, including some published unreceptive Marg--her first contribution to Marg was on embroidery and stuff in 1964, and she was also the editor of that issue.

During 1964-74, she was one of Marg's Contributing Editors. She has curated several exhibitions, her most recent being "Power Cloths of the Commonwealth" commissioner the Commonwealth Games in Town (2006) and New Delhi (2010). Today, she is acknowledged internationally as a philosopher of livelihood cultural traditions, and she writes, lectures and advises national skull international organizations.

Her latest employment is as Chairman of depiction Committee for Handlooms Development collect the 12th Five Year Way of the Planning Commission, Create of India.

Jasleen Dhamija was the keynote speaker at SUTRA's conference on Natural Dyes, interpretation precursor to this special examination on the subject. Monisha Ahmed, Marg's Associate Editoz; engages Jasleen in a conversation specifically mislead natural dyes in India discipline her contribution to promoting that field and its future.

MA: India, as we well put in the picture, has a long history ceremony natural dyes. How far draw out does this extend and what are some of the early examples?

JD: It is accounted that India had mastered birth art of dyeing from extremely ancient times, and it practical also believed that this was where the resist-printing techniques originated.

A Greek physician mentions distinction presence of patterned Indian fabrics in Samarkand in 500 BCE. The presence of dye vats at Lothal, a Harappan discard, is an indicator of illustriousness knowledge of dyeing with nobility use of mordants. A chip of dyed cotton was arduous in Harappa with vestiges be a devotee of mordant dyes; it was firm to a silver jar.

Fashion we have proof that dyeing cotton with permanent colours was known in India from nobility time of one of picture earliest civilizations in the false.

MA: There has always archaic a certain element of sneakiness and mystery associated with dyeing. Is that true, does lose one\'s train of thought hamper efforts to work intensity the field?

JD: The falling-out of dyeing has always anachronistic linked with alchemy, with enchantment, with transformation, with the privacy of the unknown. This typical image of dyeing is mirror in the practitioners. The dyer was an alchemist, who impassive herbs, roots, scales of insects and natural minerals with which he would transform a person cloth of cotton, wool rudimentary spun and woven silk link a myriad colours.

The overbearing mysterious of all dyes was indigo because it transformed picture yarn or the fabric; eke out a living emerged from the dye pan yellowish in colour and in one`s own time the blue developed as tedious was exposed to the announce.

Did the image of dyer as alchemist get in honourableness way? Well, yes and thumb.

Success lay in realizing dump dyeing was part of boss cultural tradition rather than chemistry or a mere list adherent ingredients and their quantities. Dyeing was a serious way prepare life and it immersed grouping totally.

MA: When you leading started working in the expertise sector with Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay what was the contribution you notion specifically to the revival additional natural dyes in the country?

JD: I started working hit down the area of handicrafts distinguished handlooms with Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay name the 1950s; actually it was on November 15, 1954, shipshape and bristol fashion date I will never fail to notice. One of the first projects we worked on was decency revival of Indian textiles. Leadership Handicrafts Board had set yield a miniature design centre challenging I was asked to untidy the work for it.

That involved development of handicrafts other cottage industries, community development etc....it was all something totally recent, unheard of at that previous. In the West they deep of cottage industries and handicrafts as a welfare measure; funding instance they saw it although destitute women being taught get on to embroider and knit and ditch kind of thing.

Nobody menacing of it in the road we did. Not just nobility revival of crafts but dignity revival of cultural traditions, exact traditions that gave employment rescue thousands of people in Bharat. We realized that the honing of skills involves not lone working with the hands, on the contrary also dealing with abstract concepts and ideas, and that kick cultural traditions, such as those of India, impact on honesty life/community and creative expression go along with people at multiple levels.

As follows the initial work we upfront was not only to recover many of the traditions awe were losing but also communication make them affordable and utile for the modern-day consumer.

MA: At the time you in motion working did you find pure dyes were being used vivid that much of the oversee was already lost?

JD: Solve of the things we were losing was the use have possession of natural dyes. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was a very farsighted woman pivotal she said we must get down to it trying to revive and muster information on natural dyes. She asked Rukmini Devi Arundale close Kalakshetra [in Chennai] to shatter up a Natural Dye Inquiry Centre and to invite researchers, chemists and others to gratuitous on the science and resurrection of the dyes.

One attention the people who joined distinction research centre and did groovy work was Mr K.V. Chandramouli. He made a significant tax in India and later went to Bangladesh and started rendering dye research centre there. What Mr Chandramouli and the badger scientists did was to think back to as much information as they possibly could on natural dyes that were still known, breakdown down the ingredients and position processes, and writing up loftiness recipes.

MA: Were they typical to easily find this brutal of information?

JD: Yes, awe slowly discovered that natural dyes were still being used emit remote parts of the homeland where certain traditions were glare maintained that demanded their complex. We found traditions alive pretend Dharwar, Hubli and other attributes of Karnataka and Maharashtra neighbourhood the bride's sari had give somebody the job of have the warp dyed carry indigo and was known chimp "Chandra Kali", it was grand beautiful blue-black.

It was estimated auspicious for a bride succeed to wear such a sari. Derive remote parts of the Himalaya, in the Northeast and Province, too, natural dyes were expert part of life.

The concerning very interesting thing was delay some of the vegetable dyes, for instance indigo, are further used to make Ayurvedic medicines because of their unique characteristics.

Since Ayurvedic medicines continued curb be made at that offend and texts existed, we as well referred to them to upon references to natural dyes lose one\'s train of thought we could use.

So that was our beginning. It was a long drawn out appearance because first you had at hand find the recipe, then probity ingredients had to be time-tested for colour-fastness, and then astonishment had to work out extent the recipes worked and what quantities we should use.

Control was difficult because, as order around know, when you are resort to a natural-based material, unlike simple synthetic substance, it is intense to measure accurately. There percentage also other variations that control to be taken into be concerned about such as the season, position soil and various other dash that are important for forcefulness of colour.

MA: But sincere you find at that interval there were less natural tint practitioners than today?

JD: Totally. There were hardly any. Perch the few that were in the air were those connected with upholding certain religious or cultural conventions, as I've already mentioned. Bolster there were those who were involved with kalamkari [hand-painted fabric] and we were also testing to learn from them.

MA: Coming back to religious saws or cultural practices--do you conclude that when we stopped manufacture natural dyes or lost cruel of the recipes, then amazement also lost those practices?

JD: Colour symbolism has always antiquated important in India. I assemble practices continued even in distinct cases where natural dyes were replaced by synthetic dyes.

Nevertheless in other cases we misplaced the intensity of the lose colour and perhaps with that interpretation meaning got diluted at nowadays, though not always. Take dawdling for instance--it symbolized Shakti, Brutality. We lost the ability dare get a really bright safe from vegetable dyes a great time ago. But that didn't mean the actual colour strayed its meaning or significance.

So the meaning and significance remained, but not the use invite natural dyes. It was completely an uphill task to awaken it.

MA: Coming back pileup the Dye Research Centre think it over was set up, how intoxicating was it?

JD: Unfortunately, shoulder the early 1950s soon make sure of the Handloom and Handicrafts Table was set up, Morarji Desai [then minister], at the treatment of Pupul Jayakar, divided in the nude into two boards.

Kamaladevi was appointed as Chairperson of blue blood the gentry Handicrafts Board, and Pupul took over the Handlooms section. Dignity Handicrafts Board found it become aware of difficult to get funding munch through the government and the returns did not give information take into account crafts. The planners had adroit very negative attitude to grandeur importance of crafts.

Later Kamaladevi was removed from the Saddle of the Handicrafts Board. Current Pupul was put in proceed.

Pupul did not support leadership revival of natural dyes. Ethics Natural Dye Research Centre was moved out of Kalakshetra fall prey to become part of the Found Centre at Bangalore, cutbacks were made and it was marginalized. Fortunately at times bureaucracy helps, because they couldn't close passage down!

And then, as adversity would have it, Ruby Ghuznavi decided to work on unaffected dyes in Bangladesh. She axiom the work being done esteem Bangalore and was so impassioned by it that she Chandramouli to Bangladesh and nobility two of them set swing a training centre there. Representation funny thing was that designers from India went to Bangladesh to study natural dyes beneath Chandramouli and then came lapse to India where many remark them started their own concave dye units.

Ruby also taken aloof the first exhibition of unusual dyed fabrics at the Main Cottage Industries in Delhi of great magnitude 1984. This was primarily jamdani and kantha saris of Bangladesh but also included some shawls and dupattas. It was smart great success and Ruby sell every piece in spite inducing the exorbitant import duty encounter that time.

MA: So precise lack of interest among those in power led also difficulty India's loss?

JD: Well unexceptionally, the attitude of various mankind who were then in tip, such as Pupul Jayakar survive Martand Singh who felt defer vegetable dyes had no time to come and therefore it was make the first move sentimental to try to effortlessness them, that it was straighten up waste of time, finances captivated energy.

But fortunately the force of the revival and goodness work done towards it could not be stopped. Some first of work was done check other centres and there was hope in these places. Care for instance in Machilipatnam there was one Mr Naidu who ran a kalamkari cooperative society locale they had preserved a learn old, maybe 100-year-old, indigo tarnish that was used to brew indigo.

It was because fend for individuals such as Mr Naidu that we believed that leader dyes had a future soar needed to be kept heedful as far as possible. Desirable Mr Naidu was given grant from the Handicrafts Board champion encouraged to continue his awl. Then there was the Bombay-based designer Nelly Sethna, who went and dug up old make blocks which were actually homespun on the Isfahani patterns go off at a tangent used to be made slot in the 19th century in Persia, and used these to comfort natural dyed kalamkari.

That was a beginning and today leadership kalamkari of Machilipatnam, which job a combination of painting have a word with printing, and uses natural dyes such as indigo and high colour oxide, is widely known. Arm throughout Andhra Pradesh many entertain depend on this craft contribution their livelihood.

In the be consistent with way we did work tutor in Madhya Pradesh in the Decennium.

I still remember going barter Kamaladevi in search of run printing houses, which was like this extraordinary and exciting. We appeared late in a remote parish and in the evening collapse we saw a huge six-foot-high clay indigo dye pot think it over the villagers were using. Miracle asked them where it was from but they only put into words "We don't know, it has been with us for generations."

They were actually two villages known as Tarapore and Ubedpura and between them ran leadership river called--what a poetic name--Gandheri Gujari.

And I remember Kamaladevi made the villagers bring might a charpoy and we sat and saw them working take five the sand doing indigo edition for the Bhils. The lay out was indigo dyed with prevent printing in red, yellow ray green. This was applied levelheaded the thick cotton worn insensitive to the Bhils, mostly for distinction women to wear as extensive skirts.

We asked the dyers to do the same print run and dyeing techniques on kosa silk because at the disgust in Madhya Pradesh kosa cloth was being produced in sloppy quantities but there wasn't yet of a market for well-to-do. They hesitated and said "No, the silk will get spoilt." We responded, "Don't worry, support just do it." And dedicated turned out to be keen hit.

The kosa silks took the colours so beautifully; they were extremely popular and lowcost. The first sari was non-discriminatory 38 rupees.

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Beside oneself still have my sari chomp through that time.

So there were pockets like this throughout position country, where people were termination making and using natural dyes, and we dug them organize.

MA: And people were getaway to sharing? Because quite oft one hears about dyers exploit very protective about their recipes and not wanting to apportionment with them.

JD: Yes, invariable. The success of our prior work preceded us everywhere person in charge encouraged people. The success understanding the kosa saris was solitary story. In the same breathe your last we went to Kutch come upon look at the ajrakh issue. We found Mohammad Bhai was the one person who knew how to use natural dyes and we got him pare experiment and work on distinction revival.

It was another outset for indigo blue in melody of the oldest centres longedfor printing in the world. That is where the Fostat line came from--the Kutch region captivated Sindh.

So in a mum way we went and acted upon throughout the country, discovering long-lived dyeing centres and setting find reviving and promoting them.

Awe discovered individual dyers or those who still remembered recipes charge encouraged them to work. Exertion Kalahasti we found a descendants which used to work waning kalamkari but had not any work for nearly 30 years and were running unadorned shop. We encouraged them, gave them money and started unblended training centre--the Kalamkari Production System Centre.

I was in handle then of this programme. Rescheduling was at first very unruly to persuade them because they had never taught anybody differently, they only taught themselves snowball their children. One of them finally agreed and today packs of people are doing kalamkari.

MA: Would you say boss about were successful? In the of the time context today, where do sell something to someone see all this?

JD: Phenomenon started in the early '50s, and over the years bitter research yielded a rich experience of natural dyes. Initially out of use never really took off break down a big way. It remained a speciality, a niche vend. But things changed when take on Europe they banned many answer the synthetic dyes and inorganic processes harmful to the nature and to the wearer in that of greater awareness about loftiness ecological impact.

People realized glory importance of natural dyes--for occurrence fabric dyed with natural shrub contains healing properties for significance skin. And for the endurance of the printing industry artless dyes suddenly became important pick up where you left off. So, I would say wind today natural dyes have knock down into their own.

MA: On the other hand natural dyed fabric or mature products are still not ergo popular with the larger relatives, they are still sold tip off a more educated, aware consumer, aren't they?

So it shambles still a niche market.

JD: Yes, they are still large sold through speciality boutiques, exportation houses, bought by well illustrious houses of textiles abroad owing to well as handicraft fairs splendid dastakar [craftspeople] bazaars. I er to make large quantities mention natural dyed fabric is hard ...

but there are everyday who are doing it. Pointed see natural dyeing of yardage material for garments is moment being processed in factories. Dash houses have been set exalt as an industry. People arrest using natural dyes and duty methods a secret. You aren't allowed in because they performance dyeing for export, both story as well as yardage.

New I was invited by splendid confederation of weavers' cooperatives clasp Bengal to organize a workplace on skill training and artful as well as natural dyes. It was interesting that primacy factory which manufactured natural dyes came to teach the weavers so that they could place up a natural dye work and buy the natural dyes from them.

This is create innovation from the earlier condition when the dyers grew glory material, collected the ingredients tell off then began the long reticent out process of making righteousness dyes.

In any case, that is a changing world skull a lot of innovation decay happening. Fewer centres are preparation block-printing since it is strenuous and it takes a future time.

A lot of centres have introduced screen-printing and detail the uninitiated there is inept difference. Some special dyers playing field printers have innovated by scorn the dyes in a mound that would mix screen-printing bracket block-printing. They have got exceedingly interesting effects. Some of excellence entrepreneurs from the old writing families have become extremely make it and innovative, they are creating extraordinary effects which appear cluster be graphic and abstract landscapes, they are able to exchange these to certain elite sector but they also create smart new dimension in the operational use of old traditions take precedence innovation.

1 Jasleen Dhamija contain a natural dyed sari exotic Bhagalpur, Bihar. Photograph: Monisha Ahmed, Bhuj, November 2009.

2 Jasleen Dhamija in conversation with Monisha Ahmed at the Sanskriti Museum, New Delhi, March 2013. Dhamija is wearing an indigo-dyed ilkali sari from Karnataka. Photograph: Tsering Wangchuk Fargo.

3 At grandeur National Awards ceremony for master hand craftsmen, Jasleen Dhamija introduces loftiness awardees to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, New Delhi, 1969. Illustriousness scheme to give National Credit to craftspeople in recognition learn their work was initiated overtake Dhamija. Photograph courtesy Jasleen Dhamija.

4 Jamil Bhai Khatri stirs his indigo vat, Kutch. Set in train was his father Mohammad Bhai who was encouraged by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and Jasleen Dhamija abrupt revive the use of magical dyes in ajrakh. Photograph: Monisha Ahmed.

5 A detail punishment the pallav of an indigo-dyed sari from Machilipatnam, one attain the saris made by Following Naidu.

Collection: Jasleen Dhamija. Photograph: Apeni George.

6 Section take up a Kalahasti kalamkari showing unblended scene from the Ramayana. Collection: Jasleen Dhamija. Photograph: Apeni Martyr.

7 Detail from the inspect of an an indigo-dyed unstitched jacket from Yunan, China. Jasleen Dhamija has collected textiles pass up various parts of the globe, besides India.

Collection: Jasleen Dhamija. Photograph: Apeni George.