BANDHANI

About Bandhani

It is a resist dye technique by tying, leaving a space undyed and creating designs and patterns. The cloth using this technique is also regarded as Bandhani. Tying is one of multiple tie-dye techniques including wrapping, clamping, and stitching which have been practiced over the world.
The name is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Bandh' (to tie or bind) and is also called 'Bandhej'. Its technique is similar to the Japanese tie-dye, such as Kanoko Shibori and Hitta Shibori, in which a small part of the cloth is pinched and tied tightly with the thread, dyed, and when the thread is open, the tied parts become undyed creating a dot pattern.

Production Area of Bandhani

Gujarat and Rajasthan in Western India are the major production areas. To these two states, many people have immigrated from the Sindh state of Pakistan where has been known as a production center of Bandhani for the long time. In Gujarat, Jamnagar, Porbandar in Saurashtra, Bhuj, Anjar, Mandvi and Abdasa in Kutch, also outskirts of Ahmedabad are known as production centers, while in Rajasthan, Jaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Barmer and Nathdwara are.

It also has been practiced in other parts of India such as Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam and West Bengal.

Those items and designs differ by the regions and the communities, the general techniques are almost the same. The tie-dye of Madurai in Tamil Nadu is called 'Sungadi', which is said to have been introduced by the Saurashtra people of Gujarat.

History of Bandhani

The origin of Bandhani still has been uncertain though, we will imagine its long journey from the records left in the paintings and the literatures. For instance, the pattern that resembles Bandhani can be seen on the blouse of a maid in the murals of the cave temples of Ajanta (Maharashtra, Western India) which is considered painted by the 7th century.
In Gujarat, one of the main production areas of Bandhani today, is said to have been introduced in the 12th century by the communities who immigrated from Multan (present-day Multan, Punjab in Pakistan) and Sindh. In the 18th century, it attracted attention as a trade item for Europe through the British East India Company, and around this time it began to be produced in Kutch, Gujarat, as well as Jamnagar and Mumbai. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, tie-dyed silk handkerchiefs from Bengal were exported to London and then to British colonies in the West Indies and East Africa, which is where the word "bandana" comes from.
Bandhani has been used not only as an export item, but also in people's daily lives, mainly in the surrounding areas of each region where it is produced, from formal wear to everyday wear, also as a cloth for the daily life. Originally, natural materials which were available locally have been used for dyeing, but with the introduction of cheap and efficient chemical dyes, this practice has been changed. People has lost their knowledge of traditional dyeing gradually. However, there are artisans, still only a few though, who revive dyeing techniques using natural dyes.

People engaging in Bandhani

Like many handicrafts in India, Bandhani is a family business that is passed down within specific communities, such as Khatris in Kutch. Generally tying work was done by women, and washing and dyeing of fabrics were done by men. The craftsperson who engages in the tying work is called a 'bandhanara', and most of their works are not done in a special workshop, but at their own houses or cottages. Women learn the art of tying even before marriage, and work on it in their free time between caring children and doing housework.
There is also a craftsperson who specialize in 'Bharti', which fills the inside of the outline with dots that require precise work, while 'Sarkam' creates dots along the outline of the sketch.

People wearing Bandhani

As Bandhani, there are typical items, designs, colors, and materials depending on the region or the community. These are also things that help the person who wear them express their attributes and uniqueness.
Bandhani commonly has been used in the form of large rectangles such as sarees or 'Odhani' (shawls and veils), but also been used as 'Abha' (dress), 'Choli' (blouse) and 'Ghagra' (skirt).
Machine printed fabrics taking design ideas by Bandhani are more available and common in the market also in the daily lives though, traditional items and the people who wear those are still alive and well. Here we will introduce typical Bandhani items from each region.

We are featuring Bandhani from Gujarat this time. (Rajasthan chapter will be followed later.)

Gharchola

Originally it meant 'home clothes' and has been made as red Odhani for the brides. It also arranged as sarees to be worn by ladies of the ruler or merchant families in Saurashtra in Gujarat.
Generally, it is made of thin cotton or silk, and gold or silver zari (metal thread) are woven into sections, dividing the whole into squares, and the inside of the sections is filled with white or yellow Bandhani patterns.

Khombi

Odhani worn by brides from Muslim communities such as Khatris, Memons etc. Traditionally it is dyed into either red or black, with botanical Bandhani designs of white dots patterns.

Chandrokhani

A black and red Odhani given to a Muslim bride by her mother-in-law. Chandrokhani never had human motifs, and as the name suggests, it is characterized by a moon-like medallion placed in the center. It is also used as everyday wear.

Ludi

A woolen Odhani worn daily by Rabari women, who are pastoralists. It has played a role in protecting them from the strong sunlight and dust of the arid regions where they live, as well as from the cold. Those designs represent the life stages of a woman, such as Suhagadi, a black base with yellow or rust-colored dots, is worn until the marriage and the birth of the first child, also Satbhatili, a black base with red dots, is for after the birth of the first child, then Jimi, a plain black, is for the time she becomes a widow eventually.

Odhani of Meghwar

Odhani worn by ladies of Meghwad, which is known as Vankar (=weaver)'s community. They weave it by themselves and get it tie-dyed by Khatris. Typically, it consists of red or orange body with both the bold border and the center circle in black.

Process

1. Fabric pretreatment

Wash the fabric to remove starch and impurities. Sometimes the entire fabric has been pre-dyed. Depending on the design and thickness, fold the fabric two or four times and secure by lightly stitching along the edges.

1. Underpainting

In the past, printing was done with a woodblock soaked in gel (geru), but now designs are hand-painted on wax paper with a dye solution. It is often transferred by layering it on the fabric and pricking it from above with a needle.

1. Tying

In most cases, the women tie the fabric in detail along the lines of the sketch. They pull up a part of the fabric using their little fingernail or a pointed ring, and then wrap a strong cotton thread called 'deli' around the tip. Using 'Bungari (glass tube)' and 'Nakuro (thimble)' as bobbins, this action is repeated numerous times around the deli. The single dot is called a 'Bindi', and there are two types: the basic dot 'Aniwali Behndi' and the fine circle 'Matawali Behndi'. The Rajasthani Bandhani is also characterized by square dots called Dabbi (meaning small box).

1. Dyeing

After the tying process, the fabric is returned to the dyeing workshop for dyeing. After washing and cleaning the cloth, it starts dyeing with the lightest color (usually yellow). After each color is dyed, the women in charge will put together the fabric and additional areas are tied for the next resist-dyeing. This step is repeated as many times as necessary to dye many colors. The dyeing process is done with great care to ensure that the knots do not unravel during the process.

1. Drying and finishing

After the dyed fabric has dried, two people often pull it at the same time to remove the tied thread, starting from the left and right edges on a diagonal line, working from the top left and bottom right, and the top right and bottom left. The knots are opened when a tension is applied to the fabric, revealing one after another the undyed dots. While pulling the fabric, the deli is usually collected and removed, but it is sometimes left on purpose as a proof of authenticity and is sometimes sold partially stretched to confirm the patterns.

About SIDR Craft

Born in Bandhani Khatri family, Abdullah and Abduljabbar had learnt about Bandhani from their uncle and family ladies and have established studio in 1992. Since then, they proactively have engaged in reviving classic designs also explored new expressions using techniques of clamp dyes etc. As Bandhani, it never has been made without ladies who can do tying, they are working with more than 200 ladies from 8 villages in Kutch. During Covid time, they set up a new studio dedicate to traditional dye as well as new natural dye materials, to study and experiment.

References

• Construction of Social Relationships through Cloths: Bandhani and Muslim Craftpersons, Miwa Kanetani, Shibunkaku Shuppan, 2007
• Tie-dyed Textiles of India Tradition and Trade, Veronica Murphy and Resemary Crill, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1991
• Japanese edition of Golden Sprays and Scarlet Flowers Traditional Indian Textiles, Marie-Louise Nabholz, Shikonsha, 1986
• Indian Tie-Died Fabrics, Alfred Bühler, Eberhard Fischer and Marie-Louise Nabholz, CALICO Museum of Textiles India, 1983

Contributor

• Field Research Support: Abdullah Khatri (SIDRcraft), Abduljabbar Khatri (SIDRcraft), Abdulaziz Khatri (Khamir), Yakob Husain Pothai, Vankar Shamji Vishram
• Documentation Research Support: Kou Uchimura, Yoshiko Kasai, Gwen Chan Si Min
• Translation Support: Gwen Chan Si Min
• Editting Suport: Yoshiko Kasai
• Research, Planing & Editting: Fumie Kobayashi