Sanganeri

Sanganeri is a hand-block printing technique originating from Sanganer, a

village in the southern part of Jaipur, Rajasthan. This form of textile printing
is almost 5 centuries old and till date holds a prominent place in the world
of weavers and craftsmen. Other than Sanganer, there are other villages like
Bagru, Akola, Barmer, and Jodhpur that are famous for block printing.
Delicate patterns and lines with vibrant colored designs are the defining
factors for this kind of printing technique.
Origin and History
The Sanganeri printing technique developed between the 16th and 17th century.
The constant wars between the Mughals and Marathas caused several craftsmen
to migrate from Gujarat to Rajasthan. This craft ultimately found its haven
in Sanganer, where it has been thriving ever since. It became one of the major
export items for the East India Company, and its trademark was the original
dye used for printing designs. This dye soon became a matter of significance
in European culture as well.
Sources of Inspiration

Royal patronage and heritage inspired the great cultivation in this form of
craft, which has been around for years, and is almost as old as the country
itself. Rich traders and royal families have propagated this art and its
influence has spread far and wide into the fundamental nature of Indian
tradition and culture.
Faces behind the Print
The dyers originally came from Punjab and Sindh and belonged to a
community known as the ‘chippa‘ community. The majority of them are
Muslims. The most interesting fact is that entire family, including children,
get involved in the process. Today, nearly 3000 people are employed in
practicing this craft on a professional level.
Maintenance

It is by far the easiest print to maintain. However one would not want to
wash it too regularly since the color of the dye can fade with time. Mild hand
or machine wash would be ideal for this fabric.
 Process
The process of printing can be divided into following major parts:-

Washing
Marking

Printing

Drying
Washing
• WASHING
• The fabric brought from the market contains starch, dust etc. Therefore it
goes through a preprinting treatment in order to get good results while
printing. The fabric is therefore dipped in a solution of water and bleach
for 1-2 days. It is then boiled and washed with water. Finally the cloth
is stretched and spread on ground and left for drying. This process
known as Hari Sarana takes 3-5 days depending on the weather
conditions.
• Marking:
The cloth to be printed is spread on the printing table and fixed with the help of
pins. With help of scale and chalk areas to be printed are marked and proper gaps
are left for cutting and stitching.
 Printing:
Printer dips the block in the color and stamps the design on the cloth. The blocks
are then pressed hard with the fist on the back of the handle so that
registration/imprint of the color is even. Printing starts from left to right.
Number of colors used in the design defines the number of blocks to be used.
Generally one printer handles one color and application is done simultaneously.
In the case of sarees the pallu is printed first and then the border. First the outline
color is applied and then the filling colors. Specific point in the block guides the
printer for the repeat impression. The process of printing is called as Chapaai.

Drying:
After the printing is completed the fabric is dried out in sun for the colors to get
fixed. This is done specially for the pigment dyes. The printed fabrics are handled
with utmost care so that the colors are not transferred to other areas. Therefore they
are wrapped in plastic or newspaper after dying. The process is called as Sukhaai.

Washing:
Fabric then goes through the process of steaming in the special boilers constructed
for this purpose. After steaming, the material is washed thoroughly in large
quantities of water and dried in the sun. Once the fabric is washed and dried
ironing is done, which further fixes the color permanently. This final process of
washing is called Dhulaai.

• Dye colours use for sanganeri:

• Fine lines and intricate detailing are specialties of the Sanganeri style." Dyeing
of Sanganeri Printed Cloth is by use of natural colors (vegetable colors) as such,
the finished cloth often emits very pleasant odour. Sanganer is famous for its
Calico printed bed covers, quilts and saris.

• Motifs and designs

 Fine lines and intricate detailing are specialties of the Sanganeri style Block
printing which displays an extensive variety of butas. The designs are based on the
traditional motifs (Fig. 5.4), paisley flowers, leaves, birds, centreline pattern, and
Fig. 5.2 Block printing patterns Gujarati pattern Sanganeri pattern Fig. 5.3
Chhipa or printer carefully presses his block on the fabric borders with grapevine
movement with black or dark outline. Various floral designs and geometrical (Fig.
5.5) and religious figures are included in its prints. Now-a-days modern designs
are also found on block-printed cloth.

• Colours use for sanganeri printing

Colours Originally, printers used the colours derived from natural dyes, yellow
from turmeric and buttermilk, green from banana leaves, black from iron rust, blue
from indigo plant, red from sugarcane and sunflower and purple from kirmiz insect.
The names of colours were not red, green or yellow, as they are called today. Instead
the colour names reflected nature and life. The terms usually used were kasumal for
red, toru phooli for yellow, moongiya for dark green etc. Traditionally, the chippas
used Indigo and Manjistha (a local herb) for the blue and red hues, a trademark of
Sanganeri prints. They also used turmeric roots and pomegranate peels to make green
and yellow.

Techniques Sanganer became the prestigious work center for block

printing with elaborate techniques:

i) Direct process

ii) Resist method

iii) Discharge process

iv) Rogan printing

Direct process - Two blocks are used one for filling and the other for outline.
They are used in direct technique of printing. These blocks are manufactured at
Sanganer and Purani Basti, from seasoned teak wood with designs on the
underside of the block. The new blocks are soaked in oil for 10-15 days to soften
the grains in the timber. Each block has a wooden handle and two to three
cylindrical holes drilled into the block for free air passage and also to allow
release of excess printing paste. The blocks are dipped into dye to print the
pattern on the cloth. The blocks have different floral motifs carved on them.
 Resist Method –
For this method colouring matter obtained from plants and vegetables was resisted
using wax, clay and raisins as in Dabu or Iha method .

Discharge process –
In the earlier part of the ninetieth century it was discovered that it was possible
by chemical means to bleach out or ‘discharge’ a pattern in re-printing.

• Rogan printing –
• In this technique, the cloth has outlines over-printed with gold It was reserved for
the more luxurious work for gold printing could not withstand heavy wear-and-
tear, and could not be washed. The design was used for the royals. Now-a-days,
chemical dyes are being used for rogan style which is far less expensive. The
printing table was long enough so that a good length of fabric could be printed
altogether Wooden trolleys with racks having castor wheels fastened to their legs to
facilitate free movement were used. The printers use to drags it along as they
worked. On the upper most shelf trays & dyes are placed. On the lower shelves,
printing blocks are kept ready. The fabric to be block printed is washed free of
starch and soft bleached. The fabric to be printed is pinned over the table and
printed block by block. The printing starts from left to right. The colour is evened
out in a tray with a wedge of wood and the block dipped into the colour. When the
block is applied to the fabric, it is slammed hard with the fist on the handle so
that a good impression may register.

• Sanganeri and Bagru printings are similar but we can identified by read out
this:

• Bagru printing is a traditional printing technique that is done using natural

colours. It is a craft practiced by the ‘chippas’ community in a remote town of
Rajasthan.
• Bagru printing is generally done on a blue or indigo background. This region is
popular for two kinds of prints: Dabru prints and seyali-bagru prints. The seyali-
bagru printed fabrics are known for their characteristic black and yellow
ochre/cream colour combinations. Dabru prints, on the other hand, are created
using a special resist technique (hiding the print from dye).
British period
The myth of 200 years of British rule in India. Almost everyone in India knows this
by heart — Britishers ruled India for 200 years. We got rid of them in 1947 and
Robert Clive won the battle of Plassey in 1757, so that is a neat 190 years.