Rogan art, an ancient skill with its origins in Persia. It is a craft which took over the course of time. Kuch's Rogan tradition is sustained by two families in Nirona Village.
3. ROGAN
The traditional hand painted
textile of Gujarat
Introduction- India is a country having a diverse culture,
which is still deeply rooted in its history and traditions. It
has a wide range of traditional textiles and
craftsmanship which provide artistic and exotic range of
products. Indian craftsman has age old heritage of
nearly about 5000 years old especially woven, resist,
painted and printed textiles. Throughout the history of
art, painting has been the most common means of
expression; it possesses an inherent aesthetic appeal
that surpasses those of other visual art.
4. Gujarat, a cultural state lies between 22.00 north
latitudes and 72.00 east longitudes. Kutch is the land of
art; people
have developed a strong & a varied crafts tradition
based on the precepts of utility & beauty.
With its distinctive use of beads, printing & threads
practices to create colorful fabric ornamentations. Kutch
has always been very popular in recent days. Each
village in Kutch has a different tradition & different art.
The craft nearly died out in the late 20th
century with
Rogan painting being practiced by only two families in
same village. ‘Rogan’ in Persian meaning varnish or oil:
the paint is made with castor oil. Rogan art is believed to
have originated in Persia some 300 years ago & was
traditionally used to embellish bridal trousseaus. As it
crossed borders, it began fading from the collective
memory of its creators. But nine members of the Khatri
family in Nirona, a small village in Gujarat’s Kutch
district, are the last surviving custodians of the art form.
The Khatri community once did Rogan work on the
5. clothes of local animal herders & farming communities.
But as machine-made textiles became a more affordable
alternative and Khatri youth lost interest in learning the
art, Rogan began to disappear. “but our family revived it
in 1985,” says Hamid. In fact, it is Hamid’s cousin, Abdul
Gafur Khatri, a national award winner, who is credited
with resurgence of Rogan art. It strikes me as odd that
all nine members of the family working on the art form
are men. This could perhaps do with the belief that
women, once they get married, would pass on their
knowledge to their husband’s families, threatening the
art with dilution. “Rogan Kaam” does not use any prior
sketched patterns and is a free hand painting style. It is
done with a six-inch-long metal stylus. Stylus is dipped
into the color and carefully turned to wrap the Rogan
around it. This detailed work is done on one side of the
fabric and then folded into half to get a mirror image on
the other side of the fabric. The Rogan work takes time
But as Rogan faces extinction, Gafur bhai, has taken
upon himself the task of teaching the technique to 200
girls from his village. And this has breathed fresh life into
the dying art. Unlike other forms of textile are such as
Ajrakh that face is under threat by factory-made
products, Rogan faces no such competition, but meeting
market demand has been challenging. The months
between July and September bring rains to Nirona
village of the Kutch region in Gujarat. Due to pandemic
college students wanting to experience the craft
workshops, a slice of the ancient Rogan art of fabric
printing. The pandemic has made the village go silent,
with no students or researchers. Due to this the Khatri
family members struggled to stay motivated., managing
to stay connected digitally. During the first phase of
6. lockdown, the Khatri’s collaborated with India craft week,
Delhi and Paramparik karigaar Mumbai showcasing their
collection in online exhibitions. Jabbar Arab Khatri,
nephew of Padma Shri awardee Abdul Gafoor Khatri,
says, “the dyes take time to dry during the monsoon, so
we are indoors working with designs.” As he is the
youngest of all of them, he is happy about the online
initiative. “although there were no sales.” In the last few
weeks, Jabbar has made a few Rogan art wall pieces on
the masks for covid-19. Budding fashion designers could
bring fresh ideas and help in sustaining the art and
make it relevant in the fashion industry.
Nirona’s tourist season begins mid- September, the
period preceding Dasara and Deepawali, the major
festivals before winter sees tourists flock to the village.
As cities slowly relax restrictions, artisans look ahead
with hope. “I heard that the Rann Utsav might happen in
the first week of November. If the pandemic ends by
then, we can hope to slowly regain our lives.” Adds
Jabbar.
7. “you will not find Rogan art the way you find other arts in
the markets. It’s not because we don’t want it to go out
to the people, it’s because we have limited resources,”
says Gafur bhai. We go to five or six exhibitions around
the country in a year, and rest of the time we are at
home, working.”
It has been a long journey for the Khatri family: from
reviving the art to creating public interest to recovering
from the Bhuj earthquake setback. But today, they are
only seeing a huge resurgence of interest.
The ‘Tree of life’, an intricately patterned tree with
hundreds of dots and dashes, is their signature painting
and most in demand. A 14*17” painting can take 12
days to complete- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose
one to gift to the then U.S. President Barack Obama
during his U.S. visit. “Rogan art is 100% and imagination
on a piece of cloth,” Gafur bhai, as he is better known,
explains. “There is no tracking, no drawings to refer to.”
8. P.M.’s pick- Gafur became so attached to Rogan that he
promised his father to take it to the international level,
which he did eventually. “I fulfilled my promise when
Rogan art was presented to Barack Obama, the then
president of the United States, by Narendra Modi during
his first visit to the U.S. in 2014,” says Abdul Gafur
Khatri, the recipient of Padma Shri award (2019), five
national awards, eight state awards, three national merit
certificates & an international designers award.
“Rogan Painting” as a souvenir for former U.S. president
Barack Obama.
The one which has been in existence for
more than 300 years, its technique an absolute secret.
This hidden gem is known as the “Rogan Kaam” of
Gujarat. The craft & its glittering patterns were
traditionally only used for embellishing bridal clothing
belonging to the regional tribes, however with time, the
art form have gained immense popularity, has also
9. started being used for bedspread, ‘odhanis’ & decorative
wall pieces. P.M. Narendra Modi has made gifts, which
essentially captures the essence of India, the hallmark
of his outreach to world leaders including president
Barack Obama but what’s not known is that his choice of
these may not be as lopsided as was originally thought.
While he again gifted a Bhagawad
Geeta to Obama, or Gandhi’s take on it, Modi also used
the extremely rare Rogan art form practiced only by a
Muslim family in Gujarat. Modi gifted a couple of
exquisitely handcrafted Rogan paintings to Obama.
Modi also gifted a Pashmina stole to Michelle Obama,
an exclusive J&K product symbolizing luxury &
elegance.
Crafts of Gujarat- Gujarat has an array a rich variety of
crafts. It’s embroidery, bead work, wood crafts, printed &
woven clothes, pottery & tribal art are expression of the
folklore & festivals. The exclusive range of these works
of craftsmen & woven imbued with the social & cultural
hue of the region from where they have sprung are
original in nature & craftsmanship. Today far moved
from the hut or the village of the craftsman, pieces of
handicrafts come to adorn the houses of the elite, the
five-star hotels both at home & abroad.
10. Ahmedabad- The district of Ahmedabad is a fascinating
contrast of culture & history. It’s a center where both the
old & new coexist-ancient history with contemporary art,
rapid industrialization with traditional handicraft. From
sacred art to delicate metal crafts, the region is home to
both antique & modern crafts that have become widely
popular across the state & beyond.
1-Mata Ni Pachhedi
2-White metal/Minakari
11. Surat- you might have heard of Surat as a world-
famous center for the diamond industry, but the secret is
that the city is also home to ornate mosques, colonial-
style buildings, parsi agiaries & & textile markets. In
Gujarat, Surat district is also the heart of the crafts of
sadeli, or wood carving. The striking warli art are also
practiced in different parts of this district.
1-Sadeli
2-Zardozi
12. 3-Warli
Patan- The patan district of Gujarat is home to some of
Gujarat’s finest architectural wonders. Rani ki vav, that’s
located here, is among the finest stepwells in India. Its
Buddhist caves and Hindu temples are a sight to behold
and its crafts are some of the most coveted in the world.
Patan is home to some of the most skilled Patola
weavers in the country, who make some of the finest
double ikat and patola sarees in the country. When
you’re travelling to Patan, you can’t leave without at
least one gorgeous piece of work!
1-Patola
13. Sabarkantha- located in the northeastern part of the
state, the Sabarkantha district is home to both tribal
villages and modern, bustling cities. You’ll find
everything from glorious heritage hotels to quaint little
villages, each more charming than the next. But it’s the
people of the region that make it truly special. From its
incredible array of terracotta figurines to its beautiful,
simple coir artefacts, the artisans of Sabarkantha have
become well known for their creative and meaningful
work.
1-Terracotta
Vadodara- considered to be the state’s cultural capital,
Vadodara is famous for its diverse architectural
wonders. It’s home to Hindu & Jain shrines, a 15th
century pre-Mughal fort and a variety of museums that
boast of its rich heritage. Gujarat’s third largest city, the
district is full of surprises—not least of which is a
dinosaur museum! A visit to Vadodara promises a visit
14. enriched in knowledge, plus some beautiful takeaways
too, like its stunning collection of silver
1-Stone carving (Sompura)
2-Silver ornaments
Saurashtra- located in the peninsular region of Gujarat,
Saurashtra covers about a third of the state. Its capital
Rajkot, was the childhood home of Mahatma Gandhi
who spent the initial days of his childhood here. The city
is the home of iconic places like the Mahatma Gandhi
Museum and Watson’s Museum. Another district in
Saurashtra is Surendranagar which is famous for
producing high quality cotton. All its 11 districts
combined; Saurashtra is the birthplace of some
exquisite crafts.
16. 4-Ari- embroidery
5-Applique work
6-Khadi
Chhotaudepur- one of the three princely states of
Gujarat, a visit to chhotaudepur is a treat for anyone with
a penchant for history. The small town sits on the edge
of a lake, and is famous for its museums, palaces,
temples and tribal areas rich in indigenous history. It
also boasts of a rich culture of tribal crafts from paintings
to furniture.
17. 1-Pithora painting
2-Sankheda furniture (sankheda)
Kutch- The white sands of the Rann of Kutch that might
originally draw you to the district. But it is the culture and
tradition of the land that will implore you to stay. The
Kutch district of Gujarat is a treasure trove of crafts,
traditions and culture and is ingrained in the history of
the land and its people. From metal molded to produce
delicate silver jewelry to beautifully embroidered fabric,
the Kutch district is home to a diverse array of colorful
handicrafts.
19. 5-Mud work
6-Soof embroidery
Detail study on Rogan- The traditional art in India is
being replaced by the western culture thus, it is
necessary to ensure that Rogan painting a traditional
craft is documented for the younger generation to
20. understand their tradition and culture which reaches to
the youth for better appreciation before it is completely
extinct. A limited range of Rogan painted products which
are available does not fetch them a respectable income.
Since, the cost of per unit was high, limited products
were purchased mostly by some foreigner tourists.
Thus, the need of documenting the craft in the interest of
preserving and creating an awareness to the younger
generations regarding the age-old heritage craft. Also, it
will serve as teaching module in academic institutions.
Rogan is on the verge of extinction as only two families
of Nirona village of Kutch and three families in
Viramgam, wadhvan and Ahmedabad practices this
craft, due to lack of awareness regarding this craft
amongst the Indian consumers, the younger generation
is no longer interested in continuing with this craft. It
requires not only skill but patience, concentration, a
sense of proportion, an aesthetic appreciation and not to
mention visual co-ordination. Hence, one of the methods
of preserving Rogan craft is through documentation
pertaining to its history, motifs, colors, fabrics and
products used.
Development of craft- Rogan artist M. Jabbar, Arab
Khatri has just finished taking a walk around punjaguth
exploring the city. He shows the photograph of a Rogan
art done on a fabric where the city’s splendid
architecture had come alive. Resplendent with earthy
colors, elaborate motifs and intricate detailing,
Hyderabad’s edifice stands tall here. Royalty and
heritage are a common factor that binds Hyderabad and
Rogan art of Kutch with a 300-year-old history. With
floral, animal (peacock, elephant) geometric designs,
21. this ancient art of hand-painting is a treasure of Kutch.
There is no particular theme as the artisan’s paint what
they feel.
Interesting facts about Rogan- Among the few families
that practices this time-consuming & painstakingly
difficult Rogan art, Khatri’s are the only ones left still
continuing this art form. “The turning point came in
1985,” says Jabbar sharing how his uncle Abdul
Ghafoor Khatri left the family tradition and went to
Bombay. “My grandfather wrote a letter asking him to
come back. He returned and has been instrumental in
retaining its old glory, he says.” It was a moment of pride
when Ghafoor won a Padma shri recently. Jabbar only
studied till 10th
std. in Guajarati medium & often played
cricket with his friends on open grounds. One of his
endeavours has been to popularise and blend the art to
suit contemporary needs, Traditionally Rogan art was
done on skirts & quilt covers. “our work is handmade
and intricate, & hence expensive. There was a lot of
struggle when cheap prints hit the market. “Our family
members even worked as labourers to sustain the art. It
is only now that we have got the platform,” he says. The
art finds a place in utility products including mobile
covers, sling and shopping bags. The tree of life design
(copyright by Ghafoor) is a popular wall piece.
Jabbar informs Prime minister Narendra Modi had gifted
his tree of life to former U.S. president Barack Obama
when he created a saree with Rogan art (it takes six
months to make one). Two years ago, the art found a
22. digital market place too,” one needs a lot of patience.
Care has to be taken to see that the stroke remains the
same, he adds. Jabbar has touring India, Deepawali &
the next two months after the festivals a busy period
when tourists flock their village. “During winter season,
around 400 people visit our house. Many legendary
actresses like Waheeda Rahman & Asha Parekh had
visited us.”
“As the days are shorter in winter & gets difficult
to dry the fabrics, we do no focuses much on the work.
During, monsoon we focus on intricate designs that can
be done indoors, we also have taken care of the fabrics
that they don’t move because of wind,” he shares.
“We are also famous as they show Rogan
history on National Geographics,” he smiles, Jabbar
hopes designers draw inspiration from Rogan & the art
form finds a place in fashion weeks.
“we are working with leather to create bags &
wallets, the sad part is some replicate our base colours
to create duplicate products,” Bemoans Jabbar.
Methodology-
Technique:
23. • Rogan is a form of textile painting which uses a rich,
brightly coloured paint made from castor oil and
natural colours. Castor is the crop commonly grown
in Kutch region of Gujarat and the artists source it
from the local farmers.
• Patterns: The intricate motifs- geometric, floral,
peacocks, the tree of life, etc. – are drawn from the
history and folk culture of the Kutch region.
Process:
• Making the paste- The making of the Rogan paste
takes place in the outskirts of the Nirona village
where there are no residences, since there is high
risk of inflammation. The castor oil is boiled in the
Handio in the furnace. The temperature has to be
controlled as an increase in the heat can result in
flames inside the container. White particles are
formed over the oil surface, which leads to yellowish
colour in time. The oil is taken off the furnace and
covered using the dhakni once it catches flame.
When the dhakni is removed after sometime, the oil
attains its pure state which it gets rid of the
impurities in the form of fumes. The process of
covering and uncovering the Handio is carried out a
few more times till a thick brownish gelatinous paste
is acquired. The hot oil is then cooled in cold water,
which results in Rogan formation in oil, this residue
is very essential in the making of colour paste. This
process usually takes 3-4 days.
24. • Mixing the colours- Natural colours are used for this
craft. The colour powder is mixed with water over
the grinding stone and rubbed into uniform
consistency using the round stone. The castor oil is
added after this and mixed well over 15-20 minutes.
The white chalk powder is added to remove the
sticky paste from the stone and it is transferred to
small containers filled with water. This ensures that
the paste does not harden and remains moist.
Painting on fabric:
• The craftsman firstly pins the fabric, along with a
back-cloth, to his trousers. When he stretches his
legs, the fabric too spreads out. The outline
colours are done first. The mixture is placed on
the palm and mixed. This paste is worked into a
pliable paste with Kalam. It is made sure that the
paste reeling out of the kalam is of uniform
thickness to be applied on fabric. Without any pre-
drawn sketches, stencils or traces, the craftsman
directly starts to apply the paste to a traditional
design. The kalam is worked with one hand, while
the index finger of the other guides the flow of the
paste from beneathe the fabric. The fabric is
folded and pressed against this outline design to
get a copy of the same. The impressions of the
outline designs are only replicated whereas the
colours are filled in individually. After the white
outlines, the motif is filled in with pastes of other
colours.
25. • Drying- Once the designs are done, the fabric is
dried in the sun for 4-5 hours. This ensures that
the paint is fixed onto the surface of the fabric.
The leftover colours from the Kalam are rolled
back and stored with water in small containers.
Dyes used for Rogan painting:
As stated by the respondents during earlier times,
natural sources such as stone was used while later,
plant sources were also used to extract dyes. Colours
like white, red, blue, yellow, green, and orange were
used in pure form. But today, they have switched over to
synthetic dyes. It was observed that all the artisans were
using napthol dye for preparation of the paste. The
colour used were locally known as Pavadi (yellow) Lal
(red), Vadadi (blue), Safad (white), Leelo (green) and
Bhuro (brown). They also used coloured pigments and
binding agents. The dyes were available in market in
different price range according to the shades of dyes.
Process of preparing of colour paste- Each and every
stage of the process was as informed by the craftsmen.
The process of Rogan painting was very time-
consuming art and hazardous to health as stated by the
craftsmen of Nirona. They stated that for preparing
Rogan paste the craftsmen needed to be highly skilled.
For the preparation of colour paste, the main equipment
used was Kharal, the manual stone grinder which
helped in mixing the colour paste. The ingredients were
napthol Rogan paste: the fabric to be painted was folded
exactly from the centre. The painting was done only on
one side of the folded portion of the fabric. This was
26. then again folded portion of the fabric. This was then
again folded from the centre pressed evenly to get an
identical impression on the other half portion; then after
the fabric was opened to check for getting the mirror
image of the design as a whole pattern which is kept to
dry under the sunlight for about 6-7 hours.
Motifs- Traditionally the floral, geometrical and
calligraphy motifs were used for the Rogan painting. The
calligraphy motifs were not used by the craftsmen since
they did not have any traditional calligraphy motifs.
During the ancient period, calligraphy motifs were used
in Persian alphabets. The bird’s motifs were used only
by the Hindu Khatri craftsmen of Ahmedabad. These
motifs were used as all over pattern i.e., covered the
whole area. Manly two layouts were used for motif
placement i.e., border and all over. The motifs painted
by Hindu Khatri craftsmen were large with broad outline.
They also incorporated bigger motifs of bird which were
not seen in Rogan painted product of Kutch.
Products- Traditionally, it was found in the different
types of products prepared using Rogan technique
where is no organized market established for them
hence, they face difficulty in marketing their products.
The younger generations have better avenues in
learning skill and technical knowledge. They have
mostly moved out of the village. Only few less-skilled
youngsters are pursuing this profession engaging other
labourers.
Tools & Equipment
27. • Dandi: A wooden stick used to stir castor oil in the
container while it is being boiled.
• Handio: Earlier clay pots were used to boil castor
oil, but those have been replaced by aluminium
containers.
• Suya: Local name for the metallics rod used to mix
colour and castor oil.
• Dhakni: It is a traditional name for the cover plate
for the container; the containers with colour, castor
oil and the mixture are all covered with a cover
plate. Several ingredients in the Rogan paint are
considered poisonous, hence they are stored with
utmost care.
• Parat: A common utensil in Indian kitchen, it is
made up of metal and has a very wide mouth; it is
used for several intermediate preparation of raw
materials.
• Chullah: It is a traditional furnace where oil is
heated. Structure of Chullah is coated with a paste
of clay and bio-waste of the ruminants. The fuel for
heat generation, such as wood and dried cow dung
is fed from the front and the container with oil is
kept on the top of the Chullah.
• Kharal: A grinding stone used to grind the colour
and prepare the colour powder.
28. • Kanno: container to store the coloured paste in
water.
• Kalam: A metallic rod is used to hold the oil-colour
paste while painting on the fabric. These rods have
a significant role to play, as the finesse of the
patterns depends upon the thickness of the rod.
Conclusion:
The art of Rogan painting is famous for its unique style
of fabric
painting but have limited market for its products as the
products are not
easily available in the market. The art requires high skills
and time to
produce single product and does not get the enough
amounts of returns
on it. The art hence, the well-planned designed products
can support
the artisans to encase on this weakness of the art. The
present study aimed at
the exploration of various fabric thicknesses and
enhancement of the
29. Khadi by using this unique art Also the new
monochromatic colour
Scheme palette was introduced in this art to bring the
innovation in the art.
The craftsmen were aware about the history of this art
and craft. The method has change to great extent in
order to meet the growing demand in the market.
Though the production process didn’t change but there
was an advanced change in the natural materials used.
There is no established market for the artist or the
sellers of this astonishing art which is still standing as a
barrier.
The younger generation have greater avenues in
learning skill and technical knowledge. They have
mostly moved out of the villages, only few less skilled
youngsters are persuading this profession engaging
other labours.
Rituals:
When this art was being practiced in Nirona 300
years back, many communities embraced it owing to its
vibrancy and exclusivity, the fabric took days or even
months to finish, hence the villager used to order it
before time for a particular occasion. Mostly Rogan
painted fabrics constituted the bridal fabrics which were
sent with the dowry. In some communities, the dowry
was considered incomplete if it did not include Rogan
artworks. On other occasions such as major festivals
30. and rites of passage, the Rogan painted fabrics were
essential.
Recognition:
• The ‘Tree of life’ design is the most famous design
in Rogan painting. It is inspired by traditional
Persian designs. The Prime Minister of India,
Narendra Modi, gifted Rogan painting to the USA
president, Barack Obama, during his first visit to the
USA in 2014.
• The nine artists from Khatri family have six national
awards and six state awards between them.
