Disappearing art of Gujarat _ Rogan

Introduction :

The word Rogan means “Oil” in Persian. With origins in Persia, it came to Kutch around 300 years ago.

Rogan painting was initially practiced in several locations in the Kutch region. The painted fabric was mostly purchased by women of the lower castes who wanted to decorate clothing and bed coverings for their weddings. Therefore, it was a seasonal art, with most of the work taking place during the several months when most weddings take place. During the rest of the year, the artisans would switch to other forms of work, such as agriculture .

With the rise of cheaper, machine-made textiles in the late 20th century, rogan-painted products became relatively more expensive, and many artists turned to other occupations. This rare craft is practised by a lone Muslim family, the Khatris of Nirona Village, Gujarat.

Technique and process:

Rogan is a form of textile painting which uses a rich, brightly coloured paint made from castor oil and natural colors. Castor is a crop commonly grown in the Kutch region of Gujarat and the artists source it from the local farmers.

Rogan paint is produced by boiling castor oil for about two days and then adding vegetable pigments and a binding agent; the resulting paint is thick and shiny. The cloth that is painted or printed on is usually a dark color, which makes the intense colors stand out.

In rogan printing, the pattern is applied using metal blocks with patterns carved into them. In rogan painting, elaborate designs are produced freehand, by trailing thread-like strands of paint off of a stylus. Frequently, half of a design is painted, then the cloth is folded in half, transferring a mirror image to the other half of the fabric. The designs include floral motifs, animals, and local folk art.   

The intmetal rod never comes in contact with the fabric.

The finer details are then added thus completingricate motifs – geometric flowers, peacocks, the tree of life, etc. – are drawn from the history and folk culture of the Kutch region.

Recognition:

The ‘Tree of Life’ design is the most famous design in Rogan painting. It is inspired by traditional Persian designs. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, gifted Rogan paintings to the USA president, Barack Obama, during his visit to the USA in 2014.

The nine artists from the Khatri family have six national awards and six State awards between them.

Future :

Since 2011, with sponsorship made available (the America India Foundation paid instructors for teaching the art to the girls), Abdul has trained around 300 girls, primarily from Nirona and Bhuj. Today, 25 girls from Nirona work under the Khatris' guidance and contribute towards rogan art. Slowly and steadily, the rogan art is flourishing.