How mud became the secret ingredient behind one of Rajasthan's iconic prints?

Sustainability is part of Dabu print. The natural dyes used are biodegradable; the wooden blocks can survive for decades; there is no factory waste, chemical pollution, or microplastics involved in the process. Moreover, it involves skilled artisan families and heritage knowledge.Rajasthan's iconic Dabu print was originally developed 400 years ago. The method for making this design involves protecting portions of the fabric using mud while dyeing the rest. The term Dabu is connected with the Hindi word 'Dabana,' which means 'to press.' It is said in the legends that this art started due to some accidental stains of mud on the clothes.

How does Dabu print turn mud into art?

The initial steps of Dabu print involve immersing the material in a solution of cow or sheep dung and water for a day. It serves the purpose of eliminating any form of starch or other impurities. The cloth is then sun-dried and soaked in myrobalan, which is a plant extract, to give it a yellow colour.

Then artisans create a very thick resist paste by mixing fuller’s earth, gum, lime, and wheat chaff. These artisans dip hand-carved wooden blocks of Sheesham or teak wood into the paste and print on the cloth. They sprinkle sawdust on the damp paste to solidify it and avoid smearing.

The fabric is next put in a vat that contains the natural indigo. Upon removal from the vat, the fabric undergoes oxidation in the air, turning from green to dark blue. Further dipping produces even darker colours. Following dyeing, the fabric is washed in water and beaten on stones to wash off the dried mud and dye.

Natural mordants yield other colours. For instance, alum with alizarin gives red colour and iron with harda yields black colour. The repetition of this process results in double or triple Dabu print, and the entire process takes days or even weeks.

Motifs like peacocks, elephants, sunflowers, mangoes, zigzag, waves, and concentric circles form some of the traditional motifs. It can take several days to make the blocks, and they can be passed down from generation to generation. As the mud dries, natural cracking of the mud can take place, which resembles batik.

Sustainability is part of Dabu print. The natural dyes used are biodegradable; the wooden blocks can survive for decades; there is no factory waste, chemical pollution, or microplastics involved in the process. Moreover, it involves skilled artisan families and heritage knowledge.

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