World-famous Bagh block-printing artisans of Madhya Pradesh are out of work

Thousands of artisans in Bagh in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, are hit badly due to the COVID-19 lockdown as demand and sale of their traditional block-print fabric plummeted.

Prem Vijay
| Updated: Last updated on July 16th, 2020,

Bagh in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district is renowned for traditional block printing work on fabric

Fabric with traditional block-printing work, unique to a small town in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district – Bagh ­­– is world-famous, and has takers in Delhi and Milan alike. The unique print art of Bagh in tribal-dominated Dhar district, about 300 kilometres from the state capital Bhopal, is based on block printing on fabrics like cotton or silk using natural colours, painstakingly extracted from various plants and minerals, making it environmentally sustainable.

However, more than a thousand artisans who do Bagh block printing have been severely hit by the nationwide lockdown in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Bagh print business was doing well,” Yusuf Khatri, a national award-winning master craftsman, informed Gaon Connection. “The most important season of our trade is summer because there is very little moisture in the air during summer days. Hence, March, April and May are crucial,” he said. “The coronavirus lockdown extended during this period and now, lives of over 1000 artisans are in jeopardy,” he added.

The demand and sale of traditional block-print fabric has plummeted

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is promoting ‘Atmanirbharta’ (self-reliance), the problems these artisans face remain unaddressed.

“The demand in big cities has gone down,” craftsman Bilal Khatri rued. “The elite who purchase our products usually couldn’t since malls were shut. Orders dwindled by almost 25 per cent,” he said.

“We cannot work on fabrics during the monsoon season since printing would bleed across the fabric. We used to do business worth Rs 40-50 lakh during this season,” Khatri sighed.

This block printing work sustains the lives of workers from 25 to 30 neighbouring villages including Agar, Udiyapura, Mahakalpura, Ghatbori, Baki, Kadwal, Pipri, and Raisinghpura, who come to Bagh to work. These workers are also out of work.

“Every day, I cycle 5 kilometres to Bagh to get to work. I have now been provided employment for a few days, but there is very little to do. I cannot say how long it would continue like this,” Sunil Chauhan of Agar village shared his worries with Gaon Connection.

Artisans from neighbouring villages come to Bagh in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh

Another Bagh craftsman Kamal Singh Gehlot told Gaon Connection that prior to the contagion, he was handsomely paid but, with the COVID-19 pandemic, his job was affected.

“I am good at printing with the stamp but I can see the livelihood crisis creeping up. At the moment, our employer has allowed us to work for a few days,” Raju Dal, another artisan, told Gaon Connection. “Working is not going to be easy in the rains. I am worried,” he added.

“This work is our life. The government has thought something for every class but, no attention was given to thousands of workers engaged in Bagh handicraft,” said Imran Shah, an artisan in Bagh.

Fairs that were to be organised by the government were cancelled in view of the pandemic

Gurdatta Katey, the instructor of Bagh print and a district panchayat worker, admitted to the low Bagh-printed fabric output and a dismal number of orders this year. “The fairs that were to be organised by the government here and abroad did not take off. The overall business has been affected,” he said. Nonetheless, he assured that innovative steps are being taken to promote the sale and strengthen the position of the artisans.

Santosh Verma, chief executive officer at Dhar district panchayat, claimed the artisans were being benefitted under schemes for rural sector. “At present, this work suffers due to the situation in big cities,” he told Gaon Connection.

Verma’s response is indicative enough of the government’s commitment to helping the craftsmen at the local level. It is ironical that at a time when PM Modi hails self-reliance as India’s war cry to boost our economy, almost every traditional craft practice in India reels under enormous loss and uncertainty.