Khadi Emporium to experiment traditional Rogan art on Khadi

Brought five materials for selling

Gram Vikas Sangh (Khadi Emporium) in Vadodara sourced in about five samples of traditional Rogan Art materials to the city to check if Vadodara’s people would buy these fabric art pieces or not. If the response is found good enough to scale the business, more fabrics will be sourced to try Rogan art on the Khadi fabric.

Rogan art is an ancient form of painting and about 300 years old. Gafoorbhai Khatri and family in Nirona Kutch Gujarat has preserved this art form since years. The word is Persian and presently Nirona is the only place where the tradition is continued. To make Rogran art, Castor oil is heated over fire for more than 12 hours and then adding vegetable pigments and a binding agent, resulting into a thick residue called Rogan. It is later mixed with natural mineral pigments from the earth. The artists then draws thread like designs with the help of metal stick or pen.

The Rogan painted cloth is used to make pillow covers, table cloths, sarees, dress materials, wall hangings, file folders and decorative pieces.

“We are privileged to get some masterpieces of Rogan art at our centre and wish to spread it in the cultural city of Vadodara. We have order five samples consisting of dupatta, dress material, photo frame and others for sale and if the demand increases we will order more of such materials. We are also going to experiment the centuries old art on Khadi on special request if the materials get popular among people,” said Ranjit Sinh Chauhan President Gram Vikas Sangh.

Gafoorbhai and his family in Nirona Kutch has kept the traditional Rogan art alive by engaging his entire family to learn and practice the art. He also have started a school to teach this art to students with a motive to keep this art form alive.