... block printed fabric is one of the oldest and most popular products to be exported from India ...

Hand block printing as a craft is not traditional to West Bengal in the same way as it is in the Rajastan region. But when it was introduced here in the beginning of the 20th century, it quickly became very popular and the craftsmen here soon developed their own design vocabulary. The center of this craft is in Serampur that is about 60 kilometers from Calcutta.

A college of textile printing had been set up here in 1908 by a German in collaboration with the English (who were then ruling India). Serampur was already a weaving center and also made wooden type faces for the publishing industry. So they took to block making and printing very easily and in the 1940s became the hub of all printing activity in West Bengal. Their main customers were the big sari shops in Calcutta that was itself a major shopping center in those days. Their customers were mostly Indian and they did not venture into the export market. Their designs were entirely market driven and they changed these frequently.

All this changed in the 1980s when big printing workshops were set up in Calcutta itself. They also faced stiff competition from mill made prints in terms of pricing. While there was a huge demand for block printed saris from the middle class population of Calcutta, they wanted a lower price and the Calcutta block printers gained here because they could save on transport costs. Screen printing was introduced as a cheaper alternative to the more laborious wooden block printing.

Today the groups are much smaller and are trying to fight competition by doing finer work. Sasha has worked with them to revive older block designs and vegetable dyes which were used till the 1940s. Sasha also works with younger groups who have learnt this skill more recently. These craftsmen are very enthusiastic and willing to experiment.

To read more about how block printing is done, please click here.
To see some beautiful block printed quilts and cushion covers in our bazaar section, please click here.