Hand blockprinted Chanderi Silk Stole

Dabu block printing, an ancient craft, is practised in the village of Akola. The designs' distinctive texture and elegance are enhanced by a range of components, including both water and mud (but most importantly, love). River Bherach's fertile soil, which flows through the village, initially offered the best conditions for indigo growing. Dabu printing requires the water to have a set of essential salts and minerals in order to achieve a beautiful design and brilliant outcome.

Women in Rajasthan wear phentiya which is exclusively printed by the chippas of Akola and later on manually sewn as a ghagra(long skirt). The clothing and the prints are very valuable to the native area. Like sindoor, phentiya is regarded as a mark of identity for married women. Phentiya is also gifted to the future bride as a sign of a happy & healthy life.

The lengthy, difficult procedure involved in creating it is what distinguishes it as being special. Let's discover the procedure and appreciate how wonderful it is. The method begins with washing the fabric and dyeing it in a Harda solution, which serves as a mordant for the dye and gives the fabric a lovely golden colour. The following stage involves naphthol printing to produce the warm red colour. The hollow blocks used to design multiple patterns are filled with wool (namda), which effectively absorbs naphthol and creates an even imprint. Even though the naphthol solution's original colour is yellow the printed portions magically turn red when the fabric is dipped in GP salt solution.

The fabric is dyed, and then to harden it, it is submerged in gum paste. For phentiya, tar is employed as the resist material. It is applied to the designs that the motifs have previously created. Tar is heated in earthen pots prior to its usage, and Ash is sprinkled continuously while tar is applied on the patterns to avoid permanent adherence. Moving on to the most crucial stage, Indigo dying, which gives the phentiya its signature shade of blue. The method of immersing the fabric in indigo matths, is performed approximately 20 times. Finally, boiling water is used to rinse the tar, showcasing the lovely patterns underneath.
The entire process takes about 6 to 8 days. It's phenomenal to see the dedication of the villagers in keeping the tradition alive.