Author: Uday Mahurkar
Publication: India Today
Date: December 12, 2005
Introduction: A Kutch family that has kept
alive the Rogan art form now hopes to benefit from tourist attention
One watches in anticipation as Abdul Gafoor
Khatri, 42, takes a lump of yellow coloured paste to the point of his steel
pencil and starts painting on a piece of cloth. A beautiful flower emerges
on the cloth after half an hour and one is awestruck at the precision of the
free-hand art work despite the fact that neither tracing paper nor any measuring
devices were used.
This is Rogan art and Khatri's extended family,
which includes his three sons and uncle Aarab Hasan Khatri, is now the only
one practising this age-old art that was once quite common in Kutch. In fact,
the Rogan free-hand textile painting was once the pride of Kutch-the land
of colourful art and culture. Now the only place where it survives is Nironha
village near Bhuj where the Khatris live.
There was a time when women in Kutch used
to wear rich Rogan art-painted odhnis and saris. The Khatri family today works
mostly on wall hangings, though Abdul Gafoor received a National Textile Art
Award for a Rogan art sari from former prime minister A.B. Vajpayee. Says
Mike Vaghela of the Garha Safari Lodge near Bhuj who has been promoting the
Khatris: "Foreigners fall speechless on seeing the Khatri family make
beautiful creations using this technique. In fact, their work is a major attraction
for foreign tourists."
The Persian name Rogan might sugggest that
this art form has its origins in Iran, but there are no historical records
to suggest that. The Khatris have been practising Rogan art for generations.
Natural stone colour is used in this art. The colour is boiled in castor oil
for two days in phases till it turns into a thick gooey paste. The artist
takes this paste in lumps on his palm and then uses a steel pencil as a brush
to paint on cloth.
The fact that the Khatris are the only ones
practising this art might soon turn into a blessing for them because the tourism
potential of Kutch is on the rise. Abdul Gafoor says, "We are looking
forward to Kutch's fast expansion as a tourist destination. That will change
our fortunes."
Floral motifs, animals and oriental architectural
designs are the artist's favourite. A wall piece can take up to three months
to finish. A Rogan art wall hanging can fetch anything between Rs 8,000 and
Rs 12,000, even more in some cases. A famous work of the Khatris, "Tree
of Life", was sold for Rs 18,000.
Clearly, with the expanding tourism opportunities
in Kutch, the Khatris are a valued lot. Thanks to the art they have kept alive.
