ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing ArtsISSN (Online): 2582-7472
A STUDY ON TRADITIONAL MOTIFS
AND TECHNIQUES OF DHABHLA AND ITS CHANGES OF KUTCH REGION Arooshi Mogha 1 1 Research
Scholar, Design Department, Bansathali Vidyapith, Rajasthan, India 2 Assistant
Professor, Design Department, Bansathali Vidyapith, Rajasthan, India
1. INTRODUCTION India's
wide range of textiles is influenced by region, surroundings, rich culture, and
needs of the local people. Each state of India has a craft embedded in its
culture and tradition, influenced by different empires and tribes. From Kashmir
to Kanyakumari, every region is known for its handloom technique and raw
material that create unique fabrics. Handlooms are symbols of national pride
nurtured in various segments of India. For the craftsmen-community, it outlines
their critical economic activity. The art of weaving has ancient roots in
India, with remains of woven fabrics dating back to 3000 AD found in
Mohenjo-Daro excavations. Evidence also suggests that the people of the Sindh
and Balochistan regions had weaving skills dating back to 5000 BC making it the
oldest textile record in the subcontinent. Kutch is geographically connected to
Sindh and has a shared history that is still reflected in the local skills,
products, and cultures of its communities. Handloom is an ever-evolving and
well-researched craft in India, with each region presenting its distinctive
features of design, techniques, styles, and use of raw materials. About 600
years ago, the Meghwal community migrated to Kutch from Rajasthan. They brought
the art of hand weaving using hand-spun yarn supplied by the Rabaris, a nomadic
community of pastoralists. 2. REVIEW LITERATURE A good
system of available literature related to the domain was searched for
conducting the present study. The researcher visited many museums and
libraries. After searching literature-referenced journals, magazines and
reference books and visiting many museums and libraries, it emerged that
research on the weaving field was very subjective. Thus, the issues identified
for this sector can only be reviewed from other craft sectors. Craft defined as fine artistry; in the material form, it
expresses the human spirit that bestows delight. In the context of the need and
importance of craft and handicraft, the author stated that these objects were
simply ahead of the realization of the physical necessities of people. If we
investigate the antiquity and cultural progression of craft, then we will
experience that earlier craftsman had good status in society, and the notion
behind art and craft was analogous. Handicrafts and crafts were elementary
activities and essential parts of our everyday life. The values of crafts were
such that they were more unified to our life than language. Language may have
geographical hurdles, but crafts do not; they communicate equally everywhere.
Art and history are connected. Still, historians have scarcely focused on
uncovering the past of art in chronological order, like history and literature Chattopadhyay (1975). The
action of weaving is related to the human body rhythms and is a powerful act.
In this context, the functioning of a loin loom, an ancient variety of loom
used worldwide since ancient times, can be functionally and intuitively
related. One of the warp bars of the loin loom (also called back strap loom) is
strapped to the waist, where the body weight of the weaver is used to build the
tension. ‘This is linked with prana, the breath or life force’. Tension is
created for weft beating when the weaver breathes in; as the weaver breath in
reed is lifted for shed preparation & throwing of shuttle across the loom.
So, overall, the breathing process is utilized to execute various stages of
fabric weaving. Dhamija (2014). The
history of the Dhabhla weavings is ancient and related to the local skills,
products, and cultures of the Kachchh and Sindh geographical areas. Some famous
stories related to the journey of Dhabhla weavers and the origin of the craft
are prevalent among the locals. One suggests that the daughter of a wealthy
Rabari family in Rajasthan was married to a groom from Kutch. As part of the
dowry, a weaver was sent with the girl to weave all the clothes the girl
needed. The weaver family flourished and eventually formed a large community
that spread across various settlements in Kutch, giving the region a rich
weaver community of pastoralists. As per
the article Times of India. (2012), One more tale associated with the
beginning of craft definite that ‘Ramdev Pir’ once stayed at Narayan Sarovar
for his trip, and his followers constructed a temple for him. The followers
also requested the baba to call his kin from Rajasthan to take care of the
temple. This migration and settlement introduced the weaving of shawls in the
Kutch. The loom used for the Dhabhla weaving is generally paddle-equipped and
based on the tapestry techniques of inserting design Anjali (2019). The motifs inserted in the craft
are inspired by nature, such as the surrounding flora, fauna, and daily
objects. According to the report Chaand et al. (2011), “The core motifs of Dhabhla
weaving are jaad, lath, chaumukh and satkhadi. Minute dots surrounding the
Satkhadi motif with a diamond-shaped motif at the centre symbolise traditional
Dhabhla weaving. Dhabhla is the common term used by a few native
communities, such as Bharwad and Rabari, for connoting woolen blankets or
quilts. The textured white exterior surface of sheep wool, ornamented with
yarned in addition to extra weft motifs in different shades and hues, is the
signature feature of Dhabhla. There is a plain portion in the middle with a
range of colorfully lively acrylic yarns, generally along the craft borders. It
is widely practiced in the districts of Gujarat such as Sunder Nagar, Patan and
Kutch. However, for the past few years, the craft has been restricted to
Kutch's regions. At present, only a few weavers are working independently, and
few are attached to various nearby NGOs. The economic condition of weavers
associated with or employed by NGOs is much improved than individual weavers
due to higher wages from NGOs. In addition, weavers are also engaged in other
alternative occupations such as farming, labor, and tourism. Renu (2018). A few
Master weavers had widely travelled and written about in documentation on
Kachchhi or Bhujodi and Dhabhla weaving. Weavers associated with Kutch craft
express pride in community’s rejection of the government’s offer to introduce
jacquard cloths and modernized looms and stick to reviving hand spinning using
the local sheep wool. This decision was based on an understanding of the more
lucrative market for textiles produced on the traditional pit loom utilizing
the extra-weft technique for patterning. This decision reflects what Wilk terms
‘subversive naturalization’ Venkatesan (2009), in which weavers are not passive
to technological changes but actively choose to adapt or not depending on what
suits the community. Currently,
a few crafts of Gujarat put forward an important example of sustainable living
for upcoming generations by showing the symbiotic relationship between humans
and nature. Natural and local materials have been indigenously used to create
such products, which are an excellent combination of aesthetic, practical forms
with suitable functions. Here artisans are employing traditional skills to
produce objects suitable for the existing world, indicating persuasively that
natural and handmade products are flexible over time and traditions can be
meaningful in modern times Mirza & Mallya (2012). 2.1. OBJECTIVES This
paper expects to study detailing of Traditional Motifs and Techniques of
Dhabhla and its Changes of Kutch Region. The specific objectives of the study
are: 1)
To
study history of Dhabhla from past to present. 2)
To
study of Dhabhla techniques. 3)
To
describe traditional motifs of Dhabhla. 4)
To
preserve cultural heritage of India. 3. RESEARCH DESIGN After the
literature review, the qualitative research is guided by the method of
self-referential analysis of traditional Dhabhla objectives and techniques.
Keeping this in mind, Dhabhla Traditional motifs and techniques explored the
socio-economic profile of the unit owners and artisans and the raw materials,
tools and techniques used in Dhabhla traditional motifs and techniques. The
younger generation has adopted the field of design as their profession using
modern tools and techniques and various materials. It is their responsibility
to preserve the richness of Indian culture and adapt the traditional motifs to
the contemporary people of the Kutch region. Keeping the above points in mind,
this study on handwoven textiles of Kutch has been devised. 4. RESULT AND DISCUSSION Bhujodi is the biggest and oldest village in 5
districts associated with the Dhabhla craft. The investigation was carried out
by collecting the necessary information from the weavers, retailers, and
customers with the help of an interview schedule. Information has also been
collected from various museums and libraries and all Indian handicrafts of
Bhuj. The questionnaire was formulated, making it suitable for studying Dhabhla
weaving, craft marketing, and customers' response. To obtain information regarding
aspects like the weaving background, technique, motifs, and Colours. Dhabhla Is
on Off- white blanket or shawl of Bhuj or Kutch. The Main center for the
weaving of this shawl is Bhujodi, a small village 10 km from Bhuj. Weaving is
one of the main centers of the traditional craft sector of Kutch. The origin of
handloom is Kutch can be traced back over 600 years when the Meghwal Community
from Rajasthan migrated to this region and with them came the art of handloom
weaving in which weavers used in hand spun yarn provided by the Rabaris, a
nomadic community of cattle herders. Among the Meghwal, The Maheshwari and the
Marwada sub-casters excelled at Weaving and facilitated the induction of
handloom weaving in Kutch. Motifs -Fourteen traditional motifs were found in
the old products conserved by the few weavers. These motifs were discussed with
the respondents for their distinguished features and identity in woven
products. These traditional motifs were inspired by nature and surroundings,
which weavers had developed as motifs and incorporated into their woven craft.
Recently weavers have developed several newer motifs by creating changes in the
original traditional motif. Thus, they have exploited their creation and
changes. It was also said that some Rabari ladies used to make permanent tattoo
designs, which weavers have incorporated into their woven products as motifs.
It was also tried to find out the name given by the weaver to their new
creation to identify their motif. Hodathiyo, Choumukh, Dholki, Dhungalo, Latth,
Chokadi, Dhandha mutarno or ladhar or vankiyo, Satkhani, Undhi Sathkhani,
Sachchi Kor, Panchako, Miri, chhad, popati, etc. are name of the traditional
motifs. The base colour is typically off-white, grey -black or brown with
vibrant colour used in the extra weft patterning. The colour used are
panchrangi -pink, purple, marron, black and orange. The other general colour
are red, yellow green, brown violet and white. Figure 1
Designs (Pattern & Layouts) - No changes
were observed in the layouts of the woven products. Shawls incorporate
traditional motifs inspired from Dhabhla weaving and similar placements as that
of Dhabhla. Layouts of Dhabhla could be divided into 3 sections namely pallu,
field and borders. Very common layout of Dhabhla had horizontal borders running
from selvedge to selvedge at pallu, vertical borders parallel to the selvedge
and plain field. Layouts of shawls and placements of motifs were similar as Dhabhla.
Dhabhla: Plain, 2 Tara, 4 Tara, 2 Tara with design, 2 Tara with full designs, 3
Tara with less designs, 4 Tara with design and Dhabhla with design, Jesal Mera,
blanket Dhabhla. The articles are woven in Desi wool, blended yarn, Teri wool
and polyester blended yarns. The design is interwoven during the weaving
process. A few designs are woven by inserting the loose separate yarn (weft)
through a separate shuttle or by hand size of Dhabhla plain Dhabhla with half
designs and Dhabhla with full designs is 54”x 96”. Artisans usually use readymade yarn from Barmer
and other places to make Dhabhla crafts. The wool primarily used by the
artisans is Marina wool. Marino wool is obtained from the hair of Marino sheep
of the Kutch district. The weavers themself do not dye & bleach this Marino
yarn but directly purchase coloured yarn from Punjab. Marino wool is slightly
loose but much smoother and of time count, giving the finished product a good
and bright look. Articles made from Marino wool are beautiful. Initially, pure
woolen yarns were used in the starting days of the weaving, thus making the
product very costly and away from the reach of the customers. The weavers using
cotton and woolen used to get many complaints regarding issues in dying, such
as color fading. These forced the artists to move towards "Acrylic yarn.”
Different color is yarn is available in the market. This article attempts to study the motifs and techniques used in the Dhabhla craft from ancient days to the present. The result could encourage using creative and technical approaches among Dhabhla manufacturers for growth and sustainability for Dhabhla Craft. The literature review section thoroughly reviews the history of traditional motifs and techniques. In addition, the article also focuses on the problems faced by the Dhabhla manufacturer, from the fiber level to the blanket production. The entire process of making Dhabhla is inspected during the researcher’s survey. The results of this study can also be extended to uplift the current status of traditional Dhabhla Saree and Shawls.
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS None. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS None. REFERENCES Anjali, K. (2019). Traditional Indian Handcrafted Textiles. Niyogi Books. Chaand, A., Yadav, A., Sachan, K., & Tewari, N. (2011). Shawls and Dhurries of Kutch. Gandhinagar : National Institute of Fashion Technology. Chattopadhyay, K. D. (1975). Handicrafts of India. V.S. Johri for Wiley Eastern Limited. Dhamija, J. (2014). Sacred Textiles of India. Marg Publication, 65(4). Mirza, V., & Mallya, V. (2012). Handloom and Handicrafts of Gujarat. Mapin Publishing. Renu, G. (2018). Dhabhla : The Elegant Weave of the Deserts. Fibre 2 fashion. Times of India. (2012, March 12). Business Articles : Times of India Website. Retrieved from Times of India Website. Venkatesan, S. (2009). Craft Matters. Artisans, Development and the Indian Nation. New Delhi : Orient Blackswan Private Limited.
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