Shefali Vaidya. 🇮🇳 Profile picture
Jun 20, 2021 9 tweets 6 min read Read on X
#thread on #blockprinting, India’s heritage. Do read and share. @silkmarkindia @csbmot @smritiirani @TexMinIndia. Block printing or छिपाई का काम is one of the oldest crafts of Bharata being continuously practised, with its history going back to the Sindhu Saraswati civilisation.
It is believed that the tre-foil design on the shawl of the statuette of the Priest King found in Hadappa excavation is an example of block printing. Our ancestors have known the art of dyeing and printing a fabric with desired motifs using wooden blocks for thousands of years.
Ancient Indians knew how to extract dyes from plants and minerals, they also knew the use of mordants to fix dyes. fragments of cotton with block prints from India found at Fustat in Egypt go back to the 16th century and are examples of Ajrakh and Bagru block printing from India
#blockprinting is complicated and requires multiple stages. The first stage involves carving the blocks. Once the printers get the blocks, they start the printing process by washing the fabric first, drying it under the sun and stretching it tight on the blocking table.
Meanwhile, the colours are prepared and kept on different trays. The artist than dips the blocks in the desired colours and presses them on to the fabric gently, but with even pressure. This process is repeated over and over again till the full fabric is covered.
If the design requires multiple colours like in the case of #Ajrakh, multiples sets of blocks are prepared for the same design, one for each colour, with the design being filled in from the outermost edge to the innermost motif. Colours are printed lightest first and darkest last
There are three techniques of block printing used in India—direct printing, resist printing and discharge printing. Direct printing involves getting the fabric dyed first and then printed using wooden blocks in a series, with outline blocks first followed by inner colours.
I have had the good fortune to observe block printing processes in 4 states, the pedana Kalamkari block printing from Andhra, Ajrakh of Gujarat, Sanganeri printing of Rajasthan and Nandna printing of MP. It is fascinating to see printers at work.
The dull rhythmic thud of the blocks gently hitting the fabric as designs emerge is like poetry in motion. Here is a small glimpse of my block printed sarees from different parts of India!

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Shefali Vaidya. 🇮🇳

Shefali Vaidya. 🇮🇳 Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @ShefVaidya

Apr 20
#Thread #HinduTemple #TempleTrails #DharmaMusings #TemplesOfOdisha #Mukteshwar

Ever noticed the figures not dancing, blessing or fighting demons in a Hindu temple? They are not Gods or Goddesses or beautiful Apsaras. They are the Bharavahak Yakshas, the load-bearers of sacred architecture, holding up the temple, silently. They are not pretty to look at, often depicted as dwarf figures with rounded bellies and bulging eyes.

They are eternally crouched, bent at the knees, backs curved, arms straining under theburden of ceilings, lintels, and sacred vimanas that they hold up. In Hindu architectural treatises, they are known as Adhishthana-purusha, literally “the man who is the base.”Image
At the 10th century CE shrine of Mukteshwar in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, you will find them at the edge of the base moldings. Crouched under carved pilasters or projecting beams, these silent stone figures have taut muscles, every tendon etched by the chisel of time. Their faces are neither serene nor grotesque, but weary—deeply, achingly weary. You can feel the weight on their shoulders if you observe their faces.Image
These aren’t just sculptures. They’re metaphors. For every towering success, someone bears the invisible weight. In human life, it is Parents. Farmers. Soldiers. Caregivers. Teachers. Doctors. Labourers.. The Bhara-vahakas of real life.

In a world obsessed with who’s on top, Hindu temples remind us to respect who’s below. Bhara-vahakas don’t seek the limelight. But without them, there’s no light at all.Image
Read 5 tweets
Apr 17
#Thread The beauty of #HinduTempleArchitecture is breathtaking. Let me take you to a 10th-century marvel in #Odisha—Mukteshwar Temple in Bhubaneswar. Small in size, grand in detail. And home to one of the quirkiest features in temple art: the Monkey Windows. Yes, monkeys. Stay with me. #IncredibleIndia #DekhoApnaDesh #TempleTrails #DharmaMusingsImage
The so called #MonkeyWindows are not actual windows. They are exquisitely carved stone lattice panels—jalis—tucked into the sides of the temple. From afar, they look like decorative screens. But zoom in, and you’ll find mischief. Incidentally, these temples are more than a 1000 years old, remember that when some Marxist historian tells you that ‘Mughals gave us jaali’.Image
The latticed window has frolicking monkeys carved all around it, indulging in different activities, a monkey holds a mirror, another plays a flute, while another pulls the tail of the monkey in front of it. These vignettes capture monkeys in human-like antics, reflecting tales from the Panchatantra. The tale of the monkey and the crocodile is carved out in minute details.Image
Read 7 tweets
May 23, 2024
Even as the Jewish state of #Israel is in a state of turmoil following the brutal terr0r attacks by #Hamas in October last year, I sat inside the cool, quiet interiors of the #pardesisynagogue of Kochi and thought about the Jewish kingdom that existed in Bharat for centuries in peace, in Cranganore near Kochi. @danielocarmon @KobbiShoshani #AmIsraelChaiImage
2000 years of Jewish history in Kerala has been depicted in ten paintings displayed at the #kochi synagogue, that talk about how the Jews landed in Bharat soon after the destruction of their second temple by the Romans. While the exact date is open to debate, Jewish historians believe that Jewish people landed in Bharat as early as in 72 CE!Image
The Jewish kingdom of Cranganore, also known as Shingly, holds a remarkable place in the history of the Jewish diaspora. Cranganore (modern-day Kodungallur) served as an important Jewish settlement for close to a 1000 years! The Hindu Chera kings welcomed the Jewish refugees as honoured citizens.Image
Read 8 tweets
Dec 27, 2022
#thread on ‘inter-faith’ murders that were reported in India over the last ONE MONTH. 1) The case we all know - #AftabPoonawalla kiIIing his live-in partner #ShraddhaWalkar and cutting her body into 35 parts! This happened after two years of physical abuse and threats to murder.
Within a week of #ShraddhaWalkar’s murder, #NidhiGupta was pushed from a 4th floor terrace to her death by her ‘stalker’ Mohd Sufiyan because she refused to convert for him. Nidhi was only 19!
22 year old #Rabita, a tribal girl from a very small mountain tribe in Jharkhand was chopped into 50 parts by her husband Dildar and his family, within 10 days of her ‘marriage’. Dildar was already married.
Read 7 tweets
Aug 14, 2022
#ChanderiChronicles #thread The beautiful town of Chanderi, surrounded by the Vindhyachala ranges is one of the best kept secrets of @MPTourism. The town sits low below a ridge that is crowned by the magnificent #Chanderi fort.
When we say #Chanderi, most of us textile enthusiasts think of the diaphanous, light-as-air Chanderi sarees, a fabric known for its subtle jari motifs and gossamer thin translucence that made Chanderi the favourite of erstwhile royal families of Rajasthan, MP and Maharashtra
But there is so much more to #Chanderi. Once known as Chandrapuri and Chedi Nagri, the town of Chanderi and the countryside around it formed a part of the Chedi kingdom. Chandrapuri is believed to be the capital of Vakradanta, the father of Shishupal mentioned in the Mahabharat.
Read 14 tweets
Apr 23, 2022
#Thread Idi0t’s Guide to #NoBindiNoBusiness, for the trolls who deliberately misinterpret the hashtag n the thought behind it. Repeat after me, #No_Bindi_No_Business is about CHOICE. It is not a compulsion, it is not a law. It is about the right of the ordinary Hindu to say NO!
When brands advertise for Hindu festivals like #AkshayaTritiya #Ugadi #Deepavali #GaneshChaturthi it is a reasonable expectation that they should respect the consumer’s culture, traditions, symbols. A bindi/Tilak/sindoor is one of the prominent Hindu symbols #NoBindiNoBusiness
If a brand wants Hindu money, the brand HAS to respect Hindu sentiments. The ads have to reflect the Hinduness, the joy, the spiritual significance of the festival. You want Hindus to buy gold from you for #AkshayaTritiya then show respect to Hindu culture. #NoBindiNoBusiness
Read 7 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(