How ‘ajrakh’ has remained timeless

An exhibition traces the journey of the textile from ancient times to contemporary fashion

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Six decades ago, archaeologists sifting through the ruins of Old Cairo in Egypt discovered fragments of block-printed fabrics dating back to the 10th century with nature-inspired motifs that were later identified as ajrakh textiles from Gujarat.

One of those motifs adorns an indigo cotton-silk shirt on display at the textile gallery of the National Crafts Museum in Delhi. Layered beneath a silk long overshirt and cotton trousers printed in the Machilipatnam style of kalamkari, the shirt is patterned with saucer-like medallions featuring floral motifs arranged within geometric forms in shades of indigo, red, black and white. The ensemble draws inspiration from Mary Cassatt’s celebrated painting, Lady At the Tea Table, says Kolkata-based designer Divya Sheth, who created the look more than a decade ago for her debut at Lakmé Fashion Week.

A few steps away is an indigo sari by artisan-designer Khalid Amin Khatri. It bears a pattern rarely seen in ajrakh—the motif shifts between honeycomb and ocean waves, creating an almost psychedelic effect.

These pieces form part of the ongoing exhibition, Ajrakh: The Blue Gold, at the gallery, offering visitors a glimpse into the many lives of a technique that originated in Sindh and Balochistan over 2,500 years ago and is now primarily practised in Gujarat’s Kutch region. Among the participants showcasing their work are Sonia Jetleey, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Anju Modi, Shelly Jyoti, besides Sheth and Amin Khatri.