AN EXHIBITION AT HAMPI ART LABS DIVES INTO THE ART, POLITICS AND EMOTIONAL HISTORY OF INDIGO.

Just inside the entrance to the gallery at Hampi Art Labs (HAL), founded by Sangita Jindal, a terracotta vat occupies pride of place these days.

- TEXT: RAJASHREE BALARAM PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HAMPI ART LABS

Meera Curam, textile scholar and residency director of HAL, uncovers it with the anticipation of a well-kept secret. The frothy dark liquid inside, with its tarty, fruity and metallic scent, triggers a round of guesswork till we learn it's indigo-fermented to perfection with jaggery, limestone, dates and henna leaves. “There are artisans who will tell you indigo is like a teenage girl. You need to understand its mood,” says Curam. “You see the sheen of copper? That means it is healthy, it has bacterial activity.”

In the inner recesses of HAL, there are many such vats—each honouring different experiments in the making of indigo. The silent bacterial buzz serves as the perfect background to