Ajrakh: Mordant Resist, Batik and Tie Dye (2000)

Ajrakh cloth is produced by the men of Indian Muslim communities to be used by them for shawls, lunghis, and turbans. This complex process of producing cloth using mordant resist was introduced by the Moghuls and is reputed to be of Sufi origin. The Ajrakh is the only remaining fabric using this process. This film shows in detail the making of the hand carved printing blocks, the block printed mordant and resist dyed process in Damadka, and the use of indigo and alazarin/madder dyes. There is also a section on block printing with wax and the tying of saris and dupattas