Ajrak, one of the most recognisable visual symbols of Sindh, has been part of the province's culture for the last five centuries. Once a ubiquitous style of block printing for textiles, Ajrak has become harder to produce over the years due to the high prices of chemicals and organic colors used to make the prints. Many small-scale ajrak printing businesses have shut down and hand-made products are now being produced by machines. Still, people love the traditional ajrak style, and the value of these authentic styles has increased.
In Sukkur alone, there used to be more than 200 small-scale ajrak printing units. But due to the increased price of materials and labor shortages, almost all these businesses have closed. One unit -- run by a man and ten labourers -- remains operational. However, the prospects for this business are also uncertain; Many of the labourers feel they are underpaid for their long days of work and are considering searching for jobs somewhere else. Since they only have experience in ajrak printing, some of them feel stuck.
How it’s made
The history of Ajrak dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization, which existed between 2,500 and 1,500 BC. People living during this time began cultivating cotton to make textiles and clothing. They mastered the art of making the fabrics and dyed them using indigo and other natural dyes. Because of its shared roots in the Indus Valley Civilization, ajrak is popular in parts of Gujrat and South Punjab, in India. The process of block printing takes time and skill, which many craftsmen learned through decades of practice.
The owner of the business, Riaz Ahmed Mirbahar, took over the trade from his father who learned how to make ajrak from his grandfather. When Mirbahar’s father sensed his disinterest in education as a child, he started training him on how to make the product. Once he became skilled at making ajrak, Mirbahar never looked back. Turning raw cloth into colorful ajrak isn’t easy, Mirbahar said. First, he buys raw white cloth from markets in Faisalabad, Karachi, and Hyderabad, and dies the cloth yellow, which acts as a base color.
Then, ajrak makers use black blocks, followed by orange, white and red. It sometimes takes dozens of blocks to complete a design and at least a dozen people to to prepare each piece. After the printing process is complete, labourers spread the fabric out in the sun to dry. During the final stage of production, labourers take printed ajraks to the river, where they mix a blue color in a drum of water, soaking the fabric in the mixture, before rinsing them in the running water. When this process is complete, the blue color takes over the yellow, giving the ajrak its finished look.
Later, the washed ajraks are prepared for sale at the market. Mirbahar said color chemical prices have gone up around Rs 2,000 per kilogram and organic colors have also become more expensive. He said his business makes between 800 and 1,000 ajraks per month. The wholesale price for one piece is Rs. 1,0000, and shopkeepers sell them for around Rs. 1,200.
Ajrak used to be worn primarily as a turban for men and chaddar for women. Apart from this, the ajrak was also used as a gift to reconcile disputes between groups. Warring clans used to send a “minth mear kafla” (reconciliatory delegation) comprised of young bare-headed girls holding the Holy Quran above their heads. When that delegation reached the place of the other clan, the elders of the clan used to put money on the Holy Quran and cover the heads of the girls with ajrak. This signified an end to the conflict. The ajrak was also used to cover the body of the dead as a sign of respect by mourners. That practice continues until today.
Festivals that celebrate Sindhi culture have boosted the sale of ajraks over the years, diversifying the use of the product. Over time, it has gained more uses as a colorful accent in weddings and other celebrations. It is also sometimes given as a gift. With the growing popularity of the pattern, textile companies have started making waistcoats, kurtis, caps, shirts, and other products out of ajrak.
Online sales
Mohammad Ramzan, the master trainer of the unit, has been printing arjak for fifty years after he learned the trade from his father as a young boy. “At first it used to be an exciting job, turning raw white cloth into a colorful ajrak,” Ramzan said. “But the labour required to print one ajrak is so hectic that, I often used to [think about] printing ajraks while asleep.” As the most senior member of the team, Ramzan said he earns Rs 900 per day while other workers in his unit earn Rs 650.
Because the job is so labour intensive, Ramzan said he often contemplates quitting but after many years making ajraks, he fears he doesn’t have the skillset for another profession. “I cannot afford to sit back at home,” he said. Since his unit is the only one still printing ajrak the traditional way in Sukkur, he said it is also impossible for them to find time for anything else, including setting up an online platform to sell the products. “Many shopkeepers in Sukkur market are selling their products online because they have enough time,” he said.
Indeed, many shopkeepers have found success with their products on the Internet. One of the biggest handicraft dealers in Sukkur, Hala Handicrafts, attracts many customers with their diverse range of ajraks and handicrafts both in-person and online. The shop sells different types of ajraks, hand-embroidered dresses, Sindhi caps, patchwork rhillies, and more.
Mohammad Fareed, the owner of the shop, said that even though there are fewer ajrak producers in Sukkur and other parts of Upper Sindh, the variety of ajrak products has increased. Now, most ajraks are printed using the screen-printing process, which is quicker and allows producers to make the product in bulk. Screen printed ajraks are cheaper than handmade, selling for between Rs 150 and Rs 300. The handmade ajraks printed with organic colours are the most expensive kind in his shop, Farred said, costing as much as Rs 20,000.
Fareed said he has increased his number of customers by marketing his ajraks and other handicrafts online. He said selling items online has pros and cons since occasionally people don’t claim the parcels that they ordered. Shopkeepers also send items that are different from what the customer ordered, which Fareed said is professional dishonesty since customers are also required to pay delivery charges.
Another shopkeeper, Naseer, who deals in ajraks and bedsheets, said he is strongly against selling his products online. He said he deals mostly with customers from rural areas in Sukkur who don’t know how online shopping works. Many of his customers run small cloth shops and come to his business to buy products directly. For this reason, he said he sells cheap ajraks and bedsheets, which the rural population can afford.
Mohammad Aslam, who runs a wholesale cloth shop in Sukkur market, said he mostly deals with shopkeepers from rural areas and doesn’t have time to sell his products online. Most of his business runs on credit and shopkeepers from rural areas must clear their debts before placing fresh orders.
Although the new business model using screen printing has made ajrak designs more affordable and widespread, it has also affected the work of people who continue to make the designs the traditional way. Some businesses have taken short cuts seeking quick financial gains which some artisans fear has diluted the craft, and made it harder for them to survive. The labor-intensive process has some also questioning whether it’s worth it to keep making the product in the traditional way.
Increased popularity
Although the method for making ajrak has changed, its cultural significance remains strong, and the style can be seen on the streets of Sindh and other places around Pakistan. For people with ancestral ties to the province, ajrak is a symbol of Sindhi pride. Young people have picked up on the trend and wear the style with pride. The style has even gained prominence outside of Pakistan, where designers have integrated the pattern into their clothing.
The ajrak is an integral part of Sindhi culture, which is worn by people from every section of society, from the poor to the elite. It is respected for its history and craftsmanship – where people like Mirbahar and his team work daily to keep the tradition from fading away.