Rogan

Etymology: 'Rogan' in Persian translates to 'oil-based', which is the main medium used in creating Rogan art.

Origin: With its origin in Persia, Rogan Art travelled to Nirona village around 400 years ago. Nirona village is located in the middle of Kutch, a vast district of Gujarat.

Location: This art form thrives in the village of Nirona in the Kutch district of Gujarat. Earlier, this art form was practised in Baroda, Patna, Chowbari, Khavada, and Nashik; but nowadays it is only confined to the Kutch and Ahmedabad districts of Gujarat.

Community: The Khatri community of Kutch and the Hindu Khatris of Ahmedabad have preserved this art form. Mr Abdul Gafur Khatri of Kutch is a 'Padmashree awardee' He is an eighth-generation artisan of the community, which is dedicated to the preservation of this 400-year-old art form.

Relevance: This art form is seasonal and is applied to decorate the garments of the bridal trousseau as Rogan art on textiles gives the impression of embroidery.

Historical background: With its conception in Persia, the techniques involved and the motifs depicted in this art form have visible influences from its place of origin. However, some differences can be observed once it entered the Indian subcontinent. The art form's technique has remained intact, but its themes have changed from calligraphic holy verses to more ornamental geometric and floral motifs.

Culture and societies: Rogan art was traditionally made on bridal trousseau like ghagra, odhana, chabla, and dharajo. They also designed items for dowry such as bedsheets, pillowcases, and quilts etc.

Religious significance: Earlier, the Persian alphabets were painted on textiles but no evidence of religious texts has been found yet. Since it is an art form that has migrated from Persia to India, the Khatris of Kutch draw what is synonymous with the environment around them.

Legends: It is believed that once a woman is married, she would extend the knowledge of Rogan art to her husband's family. This way the knowledge of Rogan art would be passed down from one generation to another. A local legend dictates that this art migrated from Syria to India through the Afridi settlers.

Central motifs and their significance: Traditionally, geometric, floral, and calligraphic patterns were painted. The Khatri community of Kutch uses designs which are floral and geometric whereas the Hindu Khatri community of Ahmedabad makes floral designs and paints motifs of birds.

Medium used: Materials such as castor oil, wood, kerosene oil, and dyes are used to create these pieces of art. White chalk powder and mineral-based dyes are ground with a tool called kharal.

Style: Rogan designs are painted free-hand against a black or dark background which makes the highly pigmented colours stand out. Colours such as yellow, white, red, blue, and green are frequently used. Earlier, Persian alphabets were drawn as calligraphic motifs but now floral and geometrical designs are painted. The 'Tree of Life' is one the most frequent and famous motifs painted in Rogan art.

Process: The process of creating Rogan art is a very tedious one which requires a lot of patience. But, to explain it simply the process can be broken down into three simple steps.

Step one involves creating the pigment mixture. This involves pounding the castor seeds by hand to extract the oil, after which the extracted castor oil is boiled for 2 days. To this, ground-up and water-diluted vegetable dyes and mineral dyes are mixed in with the oil. These prepared colours are stored separately in earthen pots with water to prevent them from drying out.

The second step involves painting the designs on the cloth. For this, a metal rod or stylus or suya is used to apply the paint on the fabric which is laid out on the ground. A dollop of the glutenous mixture of pigment and oil is placed on one hand while the other dips the stylus into that mixture. The pigments are stretched to a thread-like consistency, these threads are guided and twisted by the stylus into the design that is to be painted.

The third and final step is to fold the fabric to obtain a mirror image of the design painted. This is the final step after which the cloth is set out to dry.

Change in the art over time: The introduction of sewing machines changed the means of production which was mechanical in the decline of the traditional method of creating Rogan textiles.

The change in means of production to meet the demands is the most drastic change this art form has seen. Apart from this, the application of this art form on products sees a variety now and is not confined to apparel wear, wall hangings and home decor items are also decorated with Rogan art. The Khatri family of Kutch is reviving this art form, they are the eighth generation of artisans.

1. Sharma, S.(2019) Rogan art craft documentation. Gandhinagar: National Institute of Fashion and Technology.