Her: Sindh Jo Ajrak

[Nadeem Jamali <jamali@CS.UIUC.EDU>]

Friends!

I just received a much anticipated copy of the second edition of
"Sindh Jo Ajrak" by Noorjehan Bilgrami.  I ordered it from Barnes and
Noble's website, and after applying a $10 discount, it cost me $39.95.

This is probably the first book I have seen in a long time that I
didn't have to open to be overcome by sheer joy.  The book has a cloth
binding, with a 3"x4" piece of the famed Sindhi Ajrak very tastefully
framed into the the cover itself.  When I did eventually open the
book, I found page after page of absolutely beautiful pictures
detailing the ancient tradition of Ajrak making, showing artisans hard
at work, and putting it all in the context of the Sindhi landscape.
The book is appropriately dedicated to "all the anonymous artisans of
Sindh, who over the centuries have contributed to the creation and
perpetuation of a rich and sensitive art-form -- the making of an
Ajrak."

This edition, titled "SINDH JO AJRAK - Cloth from the banks of the
River Indus" is published by White Orchid Books, Bangkok, and can be
purchased on the web from Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com) and Amazon
(www.amazon.com).

Here are some excerpts from the preface:

"When I began this project, I intended to record methodically and
document the complex traditional process of Teli Ajrak making, and to
capture the pure, untainted spirit of the craftsmen -- their rythm and
their heartbeat.  It was very challenging to measure, quantify and put
in words, the `concealed' references of tactile experiences passed
from father to son.  It appeared a daunting task to document
twenty-one distinct stages of this laborious process, which had
evolved gradually over the centuries and which a diminishing number of
craftsmen diligently continue...."

"In writing the book, the most important chapter for me was the last
chapter, the directory of the Master Craftsmen.  In this chapter,
seventy-eight existing Ajrak Master Craftsmen (Usto) practicing this
craft in fifteen locations spread all over Lower Sindh in Pakistan
were recorded.  They were interviewed and their biographical sketches
given under their photographs, along with a list of the craftsmen
working with them.  This instilled a sense of pride and lifted their
morale."

"During my research for this book in the late 80s, I discovered Ilahi
Buksh Gazar, Pakistan's only surviving cultivator and maker of the
natural indigo - neer - from the plant Indigofera Tinctoria.  Indigo
was the most fabled and valued dye dating back to the period of the
Indus Valley Civilisation over 3000 years ago.  Indigo grew in
abundance on the banks of the Indus River, and cloth printed and dyed
in indigo has been exported from this region from the first century
AD, if not earlier.

"I felt that after the death of Ilahi Buksh, his sons would
discontinue the work, because they did not seem to be sharing their
father's commitment.  When I recently resumed my research on natural
dyes I discovered, much to my dismay, that the sons had stopped indigo
dye production even earlier.  The wells for fermenting the leaves had
been closed and the land put to use for growing cotton.  Although the
father was still alive, he had retired due to old age and ill health.
The sons were indifferent and disinterested in re-starting the
dye-making process.  They, however, continued with the cultivation of
the indigo plant, since there was a demand for the export of the dried
leaves of the plant, used as black henna.

"Traditionally, the blue color in Ajrak was obtained from natural
indigo, while the rich madder red was derived from the root of the
plant Rubia Cordifolia.

"Two Ajrak workshops belonging to Mohammad Siddique Qasim and Mohammad
Siddique Memon agreed to learn how to dye with natural indigo, and we
got our first batch of natural indigo dyed Ajraks with a luminous
blue!  Their own response was of great excitement.  Currently we are
experimenting with madder as a substitute for the chemical alizarine
which is commonly used today.  My ultimate hope is that the chemical
dye usage will be discontinued and the workshops will revert to the
use of natural indigo and madder.  To achieve this, the supply of
indigo and madder has to be continuous and economical for the
craftsmen."

"Above all, the craftsmen should be given due recognition for their
good work and be respected for sustaining our traditional heritage.
They are the custodians of a resilient, yet fragile tradition.

"The continuity of Ajrak production and use over the centuries is
maintained only because it is an integral part of Sindhi culture.  Its
usage is evident at all levels of society, and the cloth is held in
high esteem, with the utmost respect given to it.  I trust the world
will give protection to preserve this incredible process and this
precious ancient craft tradition."

I must apologise for not writing about this book sooner.  It would
have made an excellent Christmas present for anyone interested in
Sindhi heritage, or in traditional textiles in general.  That said,
what is probably most important is to keep the tradition alive.  It is
really saddening to read about Ilahi Buksh's sons deciding to
discontinue their father's work of producing the indigo dye...  a
millenia old tradition dying because we fail to patronise those who
dedicate their entire lives to preserve what is so important to all of
us.  Isn't it a shame that we, who take so much pride in the wealth
and philanthropy of the Sindhi community, can't even set aside a few
thousand dollars a year -- not per person, but pooled from the entire
community -- to offer enough incentive to the new generation of our
hard-working artisans to continue the traditions that define us as a
people.

In any case, I had also emailed information some weeks ago about a
film about the Ajrak produced by the book's author.  The film is
titled "Sun, Fire, River: `Ajrak' - Cloth from the Soil of Sindh" and
was one of the 45 films shown at the South Asian Film Festival in
Kathmandu last October.

cheers!

Nadeem

--
Nadeem Jamali                                           jamali@cs.uiuc.edu
Department of Computer Science
University of Illinois-UC                   http://osl.cs.uiuc.edu/~jamali