THE NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY OF BATIK:

TRADITIONAL MUD-BATIK

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Cultural, National, Traditional, Racial, Indigenous

By Mud-Batik&Tie-dye Artist Sunil K. Vaid  (New Delhi, India) for KLIB 2007

INTRODUCTION
India – of all textile crafts, it’s for the art of dyeing that the Indian people have been world famous for many centuries, especially for their processing of natural dye stuffs and application of fast dyes with which to decorate cloth.

This has greatly influenced textile decoration which is called BATIK.

Today, BATIK is globally known as pattern on cloth created with WAX on material, which acts as resist in the dyeing processes.

How patterns were created and which resist was used before  the invention of WAX technique?

Well, several natural resists existed like bee-wax, oils, gum, mud, etc… to create patterns and color with natural dyes.

In this modern era, synthetic resists and dyes which are cost effective, faster to produce, colorful and easily available have overpowered the natural resources of our tradition causing health hazard and non-environmental friendly.

CULTURAL & NATIONAL
The art of traditional MUD-BATIK dyed with natural dyes existed in India much before from the time of Indus Valley Civilization during Mohenjodaro and Harappa era of the third millennium BC.
The now fading art of MUD-BATIK was passed orally in privacy, generation to generation without any written records. It now generates a big question:

HOW TO REVIVE THIS FADING TRADITIONAL ART INVENTED BY OUR ANCESTORS?

TRADITIONAL
No other land enjoyed such a profusion of creative energies in production of Mud Batik as the subcontinent of India.

Traditional Indian textiles focus on the twentieth-century development of this home and small workshop industry.
From earliest trading records, it is clear that European, Asian and Levantine civilizations looked to India for Batik textiles, paintings & wall hangings. From Rann of Kutch to the Coromandal Coast and from city to village the block printers, textile painters and dyers work to continue developing traditions as learnt from their ancestors.

The mud batik was located mostly in western province having cultivation of cotton and indigo and for early use of mordant dyestuff; indeed the rivers themselves are legendary for their chemical properties which were said to impart a special brightness to the colors obtained through the dyeing and mordanting processes.

The Mud Batik was used for clothing of higher caste and home decoration with hand painted God figures.

RACIAL & INDEGENOUS
Indian dyers ensured pride of place in the world history of batik and textile arts.  Until the late 19th century, they worked exclusively with natural dyes.

An aura of reverence and respect for the properties of these dyes permeated their lives and even after the discovery of the chief chemical dyes by the western producers, the Indian dyers claimed that their indigenous and natural occurring dye substance not only casted longer but strengthened, rather than harmed or weakened.

Yet the introduction of these new chemical dyes in the 1890’s dealt a body-blow to the traditional practices of the dyers and the final death knell to much of farming of dye crops, it was said that it also injured the artistic feelings of the people and demoralized the indigenous crafts.

CONCLUSION
We, at Langoors, are responsible to preserve batik art and

techniques adopted by our forefathers. To keep this tradition alive in generations to come, effort from the industry players is imperative to popularize and preserve the tradition of mud-batik, dyeing with natural dyes along with cultivating organic cotton.

Sunil Vaid

(Committee Member “World Batik Council”).

E-Mail: info@langoors.com

www.tye-dyed.com

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