This is Iqbal. I don’t know how he would feel if I said to him that I find him adorable. This is me, wishing I was as talented, and cute, as he (him?). And this is my souvenir from my trip to the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing. Iqbal encouraged me with a warm smile and thumbs-up as I tried to steady my hand and align the blocks. Only toward the end was I able to place a block without him laying his hand over mine. If you want to see Iqbal in all his printing glory watch his ‘you tube’ video.
Iqbal and his lowly apprentice.
And this is Majib. Look at his masterpiece! His intricate carving of the wood block is indeed something to be proud of. Together he and Iqbal were the highlight of my trip to the Anokhi Museum, but there are many other reasons to visit.
Majib and his handcarved block.
The history of block printing, the story of Sanganer (which is much of the history of block printing), the collection, and the beautiful Haveli that houses it make the short excursion from Jaipur well worth your time. You’ll find the museum by the Kheri Gate of the Amber Fort. It has been lovingly restored by the founders of Anokhi. You can visit the Fort (truly awesome) in the morning and then head to the museum.
While there we watched an engrossing video about the Indigo dye making process. The producer compared it to wine making; harvesting the Indigo plant at just the right time, fermenting until just the right color and smell, oxygenating, distilling, forming and drying (not too fast) the dye blocks. All in all, a long and labor intense process. The Indigo dye from the featured farm is prized by international buyers (and Anokhi) for its exceptional quality.
Leaving the video room and passing through a narrow doorway we ran into Suki from Cincinnati. She’s at the museum several times a year to curate the exhibits. She’s lively and great fun to talk with and her favorite time to visit Jaipur is August! I’m hoping she’ll be in Jaipur the next time I visit so we can have a meal together. It’s funny thinking about meeting up in Jaipur when we’re both from the U.S.
I have more pictures and when the camera cord issue is solved I’ll get them posted.
February 14th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Wonderful trip and I can see why you would be so excited to be making your own print and just everything you experiened! Give me a hollar or holler some time!!!!
February 14th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Will do Connie. Great to hear from you. Love that stuff you’re making!
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