TRADITIONAL BAGH PRINT PROCESS
Bagh Print is a very technical and hard working process in which perfection can be got only after a long training and experience. The technique of Bagh Print cloth Printing is classified into many parts.
Firstly of all the selection of cloth is the most important task. As in this craft the cloth is boiled for dyeing, so it is compulsory the cloth being used in printing is made of Natural fibers. Afterwards it is decided that the cloth is used whether for Saree, Suite, Dupatta, Dress Material, Stole, Scarf & Bed Sheet It is necessary because blocks are selected only on this base.
In the process of printing firstly the cloth is cut to extract the Starch from it. Many techniques are used in this process. It is necessary because on the basis of this process it is determined how nicely the cloth is dyed.
Khara Process:
Cloth is cut according to the size required. It is washed in river water, and dried on the river banks. When the cloth dries it is boiled in bundles and soaked into paste of raw salt, castor oil and goat dung. It is then spread out on mud floor for twenty four hours. Next day the cloth is soaked again in the same paste and this process is repeated two to three times. This process is called the khara process.
Peela Process:
After khara process the cloth is again washed in flowing river water after which it is temporarily dyed in harda paste and left to dry in the sun this rigorous and methodical process makes the cloth ready for the process of printing
Printing Process:
For printing there are two kinds of pastes made up of tamarind seed powder/ dhavda gum one is the red paste made of ALUM and other is black paste made of RUST OF IRON, both of which have tamarind seed powder/ dhavda gum. This paste is filtered and poured into a wooden tray. The tray itself is organized according to specific requirement of printing. The cloth is now printed with blocks and intricate designs are made by the skillful craftsmen.
Padat Khilana:
After printing, the cloth is left to dry in the sun then it is kept for fifteen days at a place.
Vichliya Process:
The printed cloth is spread on the flowing water of River and rinsed (washed a little) and then without taking the cloth out of water, it is jerked and moved side by side for an hour. So that the extra colour present in the cloth is removed. Vichliya is completed by looking the flow of river. It is called Vichhliya Process. After Vichliya the cloth is dried in sun light.
Bhatti Process:
One requires massive copper vessels to boil the ingredients which are Alizarin and dhavdi flowers.These are boiled with the printed cloth for three to four hours. The color of the water becomes clear as it boils in the vessel. The printed red which has alum takes its color from Alizarin and become maroon same with black which is printed with rust of iron become dark black and dhavdi flower which works like bleach on the unprinted portions which have been dyed in harda, makes it white after this process of boiling.
The Tapai Process:
After the proper clarification of the color into red, white and black with the help of dhavdi flower and Alizarin, the cloth is taken to the river bed to spread in order to sprinkle water on it for three days. After this it is dried on pebbles and the cloth is ready for market in all its glorious colors and designs.
Details of the material:
Cloth such as cotton, silk, crepe, chiffon, gajji silk, jute, bamboo mat etc comes from the different plantation and weaved into different counts the cloth with highest count is selected for printing since our designs requires fine textured cloth.
CENTURA raw salt is a result of accumulated water mainly near the sea shore and found in solid rock from this is an important ingredient for process.
CASTOR OIL this oil is result of hard labor and this crop is mainly found around Bagh. The farming of this crop is done by tribal people of this area.
GOAT DUNG goat dung is used as a source of heat for the cloth so that it absorbs the oil and centura.
RIVER WATER flowing river water is essential at every stage softness and hardness of the water is an important factor which decides the brightness of color.
HARDA mainly found in forest areas of Bilaspur and katni.
ALUM aluminum sulphate which acts in the process of making the color visible and this is done by mixing brick powder which makes the color of alum visible
RUST OF IRON raw iron strips jaggery lime and gum is mixed together and kept about a fortnight
DHAVDA GUM it is a big tree found in jungles, extracted from dhavda tree and is found in limited areas for example Bagh
TAMARIND SEED POWDER this powder is extracted from local market of Indore
DHAVDI FLOWERS these plants are about two meters in height and found in forests of bagh
ALIZARIN earlier Alia community used to practice its farming the root of this plant is used and the plant has an unusual character and the flower have four petals with a dictictive smell and an unusual fruit.
