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The Ajrak Industry of Matiari
By Maria Memon
The Matiari district is mainly famous for its "Ajrak" industry. The industry was established here since last four to five centuries ago. There are six factories “Ajrak Kaarkhaana” in Matiari, where varieties of Ajrak like Teli, Vall, Sabuni, Kori etc are printed.
The Ajrak, a textile with dominant shades of rich crimson and deep indigo is a name derived from “Azrak”, which means blue in Arabic and Persian.
People wore printed clothes even in prehistoric times. The blocks used for printing Ajrak are of different styles, size and shapes.
These blocks are carved out from wood of Babur, Keekar and Talhi (Sheesham). Different tools are used for making the designed blocks out of that ordinary wood. It normally takes the block-maker a week to carve a complete set. A set usually comprises of seven blocks. Asl, Kut, Phulli, Kharrh, Meena. Two blocks each of Kharrh and Meena are carved so that two artisans can print simultaneously.
As Ajrak block carving is a highly specialized craft, there are very few Ajrak “poregars” left in Sindh.
The fabric used for Ajrak is always cotton which is base material whether hirak, baftah or lattha (types of cotton fabric). 10 meter length of fabric is torn in two pieces of five meters, which is later sewed up together.
After tearing up the fabric, next step is to wash the cloth in lake or canal. As the fabric is woven in mills, removal of impurities is necessary without which the dyes would be improperly absorbed.
Then the fabric is soaked in a mixture of Carbonate of Soda and water, then it's squeezed and spread on the ground to let dry.
The dried cloth is then steamed which is called “Khumbh (Steaming of fabric)”. The Khumbh is usually fired in evening and continues for eight hours. The Khumbh is kept aflame until next evening till each and every fabric gets steamed, then it's taken for washing. After washing fabric is dried on a grassy, lime free ground in the sun and then brought back to workshop.
When fabric is soaked in three different mixtures it is ready for printing (Chappai).
First step in printing is “Kiryana Printing” or simply White Outline Printing. In this method the borders are printed first and then the centre portion. It is like and outline of design,then coming printings are like, filling of this method.
Next step is KUTT printing or the Printing of Black Areas. Fabric printed with Kiryana is now printed with .
Kutt Phulli Printing: The fabric printed with Kiryana and kutt is now printed double with Kiryana mixture in the area of phulli (floral stars) to ensure that when dipping in indigo dye, the areas would remain protected and unaffected by the dye.
Kharrh Printing: Having gone through the stages of white and black printing, the dried fabric is received by the printer to print the Red Areas. The fabric is lightly dusted and when complete, is hung out to dry in the sun for few hours. The resist is applied over the entire surface which is to be protected against indigo. The Kiryana, kutt and phulli are printed over again therefore.
Kunn Process (First Indigo Dyeing). The kunn (dyeing vat) is earthenware, approximately 1.5m deep and sunk in ground. Pieces of fabric are dyed in pairs. When all the lengths are dyed and dried in the sun then, folded and rolled into a large bundle.
Vichharrh is a process of washing the dyed, dried fabric in a river or canal.
Then cloth is dyed red, which is called Rangan Jo Marhalo.
Mananh Process (Gissi Treatment). A pair of Ajraks are soaked in the copper van containing liquid gissi (camel dung) taken out, wrung and kept on the ground.
Tapai process: Ajraks are washed again in carbonate of soda to remove gissi.
Meena Process, by printing the meena resists mixture all areas in the Ajrak are covered except those that have been dyed indigo in the first stage of dyeing.
Meena Jo kunn (indigo dyeing), Folded ajraks are immersed into prepared kunn in which dye has been mixed. They are not squeezed but lifted and spread on the ground to dry completely.
Washing and finishing: Ajraks are taken to a river and spread on water surface to sink in gradually and soak for a few hour. This removes the gum and metoori mixture from fabric.
In last comes the bleaching treatment, in which ajraks are soaked into bleaching solution, wrung well and kept on the ground.
The complicated process of Ajrak making differs from centre to centre and craftsman to craftsman. The experts called “Usto” vary the proportions of the ingredients used and the duration of time required for a certain stage of the process, according to weather changes, fabric structure and availability of raw materials.
Almost all types of Ajrak go through these processes of making, but in some Ajrak styles like Kori Ajrak, Do rangi Ajrak and Sabuni Ajrak some of these processes are eliminated because they have adopted new processes or sometimes they skip some steps, which results in a low quality Ajrak.
Workers in factories works on daily bases, they get a 250/= pay each day. Owners of these factories get a 10 to 20% profit on each Ajrak when sold to a shop in market.
This practical work was carried out under supervision of Sir Sohail Sangi
By Maria Memon
The Matiari district is mainly famous for its "Ajrak" industry. The industry was established here since last four to five centuries ago. There are six factories “Ajrak Kaarkhaana” in Matiari, where varieties of Ajrak like Teli, Vall, Sabuni, Kori etc are printed.
The Ajrak, a textile with dominant shades of rich crimson and deep indigo is a name derived from “Azrak”, which means blue in Arabic and Persian.
People wore printed clothes even in prehistoric times. The blocks used for printing Ajrak are of different styles, size and shapes.
These blocks are carved out from wood of Babur, Keekar and Talhi (Sheesham). Different tools are used for making the designed blocks out of that ordinary wood. It normally takes the block-maker a week to carve a complete set. A set usually comprises of seven blocks. Asl, Kut, Phulli, Kharrh, Meena. Two blocks each of Kharrh and Meena are carved so that two artisans can print simultaneously.
As Ajrak block carving is a highly specialized craft, there are very few Ajrak “poregars” left in Sindh.
The fabric used for Ajrak is always cotton which is base material whether hirak, baftah or lattha (types of cotton fabric). 10 meter length of fabric is torn in two pieces of five meters, which is later sewed up together.
After tearing up the fabric, next step is to wash the cloth in lake or canal. As the fabric is woven in mills, removal of impurities is necessary without which the dyes would be improperly absorbed.
Then the fabric is soaked in a mixture of Carbonate of Soda and water, then it's squeezed and spread on the ground to let dry.
The dried cloth is then steamed which is called “Khumbh (Steaming of fabric)”. The Khumbh is usually fired in evening and continues for eight hours. The Khumbh is kept aflame until next evening till each and every fabric gets steamed, then it's taken for washing. After washing fabric is dried on a grassy, lime free ground in the sun and then brought back to workshop.
When fabric is soaked in three different mixtures it is ready for printing (Chappai).
First step in printing is “Kiryana Printing” or simply White Outline Printing. In this method the borders are printed first and then the centre portion. It is like and outline of design,then coming printings are like, filling of this method.
Next step is KUTT printing or the Printing of Black Areas. Fabric printed with Kiryana is now printed with .
Kutt Phulli Printing: The fabric printed with Kiryana and kutt is now printed double with Kiryana mixture in the area of phulli (floral stars) to ensure that when dipping in indigo dye, the areas would remain protected and unaffected by the dye.
Kharrh Printing: Having gone through the stages of white and black printing, the dried fabric is received by the printer to print the Red Areas. The fabric is lightly dusted and when complete, is hung out to dry in the sun for few hours. The resist is applied over the entire surface which is to be protected against indigo. The Kiryana, kutt and phulli are printed over again therefore.
Kunn Process (First Indigo Dyeing). The kunn (dyeing vat) is earthenware, approximately 1.5m deep and sunk in ground. Pieces of fabric are dyed in pairs. When all the lengths are dyed and dried in the sun then, folded and rolled into a large bundle.
Vichharrh is a process of washing the dyed, dried fabric in a river or canal.
Then cloth is dyed red, which is called Rangan Jo Marhalo.
Mananh Process (Gissi Treatment). A pair of Ajraks are soaked in the copper van containing liquid gissi (camel dung) taken out, wrung and kept on the ground.
Tapai process: Ajraks are washed again in carbonate of soda to remove gissi.
Meena Process, by printing the meena resists mixture all areas in the Ajrak are covered except those that have been dyed indigo in the first stage of dyeing.
Meena Jo kunn (indigo dyeing), Folded ajraks are immersed into prepared kunn in which dye has been mixed. They are not squeezed but lifted and spread on the ground to dry completely.
Washing and finishing: Ajraks are taken to a river and spread on water surface to sink in gradually and soak for a few hour. This removes the gum and metoori mixture from fabric.
In last comes the bleaching treatment, in which ajraks are soaked into bleaching solution, wrung well and kept on the ground.
The complicated process of Ajrak making differs from centre to centre and craftsman to craftsman. The experts called “Usto” vary the proportions of the ingredients used and the duration of time required for a certain stage of the process, according to weather changes, fabric structure and availability of raw materials.
Almost all types of Ajrak go through these processes of making, but in some Ajrak styles like Kori Ajrak, Do rangi Ajrak and Sabuni Ajrak some of these processes are eliminated because they have adopted new processes or sometimes they skip some steps, which results in a low quality Ajrak.
Workers in factories works on daily bases, they get a 250/= pay each day. Owners of these factories get a 10 to 20% profit on each Ajrak when sold to a shop in market.
This practical work was carried out under supervision of Sir Sohail Sangi
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