For practically 45 years, Bengaluru-based Tharangini Studio has specialised in ethically-made and natural hand block printed materials. Established in 1977, it’s the oldest and final surviving hand block print studio within the metropolis, which prides itself on social and environmental accountability. After all, Tharangini is India’s solely artisan studio compliant with ISO 26000 requirements for a similar.
Two generations of girls, Lakshmi Srivathsa, and her daughter Padmini Govind, have overseen the expansion of this distinctive enterprise, which has practiced the tenets of sustainable vogue lengthy earlier than it turned a buzzword on social media platforms like Instagram.
“We are not here to compete with fast fashion. We are from a family of art and culture lovers. My grandfather was a Dewan of Gwalior State who also worked with the Wodeyars of Mysore. Our family grew up with a great appreciation of fine arts. Lakshmi Srivathsa, my mother, was studying art in the 1960s at the Triveni Kala Sangam, a renowned institution of the arts based out of Delhi. That’s when she was first introduced to hand block printing. Decades later, she decided to make this her full-time profession and open Tharangini Studio in Bengaluru,” says Padmini Govind, Partner at Tharangini Studio, chatting with The Better India.
It was difficult being a girl entrepreneur in a male-dominated textile business. But Lakshmi was a visionary, who confirmed actual braveness in her resolution to maneuver ahead with this enterprise. Along the best way, she was lucky to have had some stellar mentors like Kamaladevi Chattopdhyay, the doyen of Indian handicraft and handloom. Kamaladevi was Lakshmi’s private mentor and spent many days instructing the craft throughout her formative days. Support additionally got here from Padmini’s father, a company engineer, who supported her goals.
(Image above of Padmini Govind, Tharangini Studio)
Preserving Family Heritage
Tharangini began in a backyard shed with two tables and a workforce of 5 artisans. “Our mainstay was printing gorgeous silk saris for various boutiques, individuals, and stores. We were always B2B and focused entirely on the domestic market. Bengaluru’s silk industry was in its heyday, and we had good demand for hand-printed silk sarees. In fact, our biggest order was from the Royal Nepal Airlines. We also dabbled in the export market in a small way,” says Padmini.
Although she admired her mom’s work from afar, Padmini initially adopted her father’s footsteps and studied pc science engineering in Bangalore University earlier than leaving for the United States for her Master’s diploma. For about 18 years, she went by the rigours of company life working throughout totally different sectors like fintech, media and even protection. However, part of her was at all times related to Tharangini.
“My mother and I would have museum workshops when she visited the US, and I used to connect interesting textile enthusiasts to our studio. Having said that, we had not started exporting in earnest. My mother’s health, unfortunately, took a turn for the worse in 2007, and she passed away in 2011. I returned to India with my husband and two boys in 2008. By then the entire silk industry had changed completely. Indian silk saris were replaced by less-expensive Chinese variations. Mechanised printing was much cheaper than block printing and wearing saris had also become more restricted to special occasions. By the time I took charge of Tharangini Studio it was barely breaking even,” she remembers.
Once Padmini acquired again to India, it took her a while to determine how she would take the enterprise ahead. At no level did Lakshmi pressure her daughter to take up the reins. In reality, Lakshmi advised her daughter that it was alright to shut Tharangani down if she wished. But Padmini couldn’t deliver herself to permit a valued a part of her household heritage to vanish.
The first two years after she took over have been very troublesome as they recalibrated each a part of the enterprise to maneuver in the direction of new traces of enterprise like export materials for dwelling furnishing and sustainable vogue manufacturers. They had tied up with garment manufacturers and truthful-commerce licensed garment models in numerous elements of India.
“We now own one of the largest collections of woodblocks in India, which we started in the 1970s, and we have an amazing team of versatile artisans. Our capacity has also grown considerably and continues to expand into new ecosystems with clients in India, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Western Europe and Japan. We are ranked among the top 10 global eco-artisan studios in the world in an industry disruptor programme launched by United Nations Women for the sustainable fashion sector. We were selected among more than 400 entries from 59 countries. I was also the only one from India recently selected to be a part of a UN Women, DO School initiative to design a global platform for Impact Entrepreneurs,” claims Padmini.
Nonetheless, she credit the set of “very talented” artisans on her workforce for the preservation of this conventional craft on this period of quick vogue. Many of them have been educated by Lakshmi and legendary consultants like Kamaladevi and her workforce.
“Our main sustainability goal is sustaining the handcraft itself in our region. There used to be many more large block print units in Bengaluru, but they have unfortunately all vanished one by one. While maintaining the craft in its true form, we feel it is important to find new interpretations to reach a millennial consumer. This adaptability has been key to help us grow the business. Through training and workshop programs, we have tried to connect with the next generation of designers in various design colleges throughout India and overseas. The idea is for them to see new potential in traditional craft,” observes Padmini.
Padmini Govind working within the studio the place her workforce makes hand block printed materials. (Image courtesy Tharangini Studio)
Sustainable, Eco-Friendly, Traditional
Tharangini employs Ready for Printing/Dyeing Fabric (RFD), which is obtained from companies that place orders with them. They additionally use pure yarns like cotton gauze gloth and mulmul (superb, gentle muslin) for each printing and padding utilized in color trays throughout block printing.
The dyes they use are pure, which take about one week to 3 months to arrange, relying on the color and shade. For instance, their black dye takes about two months to arrange, which is ready by fermenting a mix of iron liquor and palm jaggery. Depending on the shade of black sought, the method of fermentation could be elevated or decreased. Similarly, the crimson shade is ready utilizing Indian madder (a species of flowering plant within the espresso household known as Rubia cordifolia), whereas the brown shade comes from mixing extracts of the identical plant. The crimson pigment is derived from the roots of this plant.
“Any leftover dyes are sent to be used at autism centres. For any steam treatment they have to do on their printed fabric, Tharangini uses Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) for fuel and newspapers for insulation. The newspaper is returned to the same vendor from whom it was bought for recycling. The effluents generated due to washing block prints, gum-arabic from fabric when discharge dye printing has been done, and natural dye from saris, are safe as the materials used are natural or certified as safe to use. However, as an added precaution the effluents are still treated in an effluent treatment plant,” notes this 2019 report on Tharangini in Vikalp Sangam publication.
At Tharangini, the dyes are ready by their in-home resident color mixer, Bhanuamma, who has now been working there for the previous 36 years, alongside her apprentice Yashodhara. An necessary factor of the dyeing course of is the constructing of picket blocks used for printing designs on cloth. The wooden used for making these blocks is sourced from Timber Layout, a vendor within the metropolis. But the kind of wooden used for this native Teak, which is of fine high quality.
As the Vikalp Sangam report goes on notice: “Block printing at Tharangini predominantly uses wooden blocks, carved with designs on them, to make an impression on the cloth. This is done by first dipping the block in the dye and then carefully placing it on the cloth. The procedure requires the cloth to be washed free of starch so that the colours can stick on them. The cloth is then stretched on a flat surface and fixed on it with pins. The dye that has been prepared is kept in a tray, beside the printing table, and contains glue and pigment binder.”
It provides: “The block is not directly dipped in dye but pressed against a layer of wash cloth soaked with this dye so that the block does not pick any extra colour. The teakwood blocks, once prepared, are also dipped in oil for a few days before being used. After printing has been done on the cloth, the block print is first allowed to dry, and then the cloth is covered in newspaper and is steamed. Only when the discharge printing is done, the cloth is washed to rinse off any resin (gum Arabic) that is sticking to it, dried again and finally ironed before it is ready…skilled block printers combine multiple overlapping blocks to arrive at complicated designs.”
The enterprise at present has about 5 expert block printers, a few of whom have been with them for over 40 years like Krishnappa Bhat and Mallikarjun. This course of requires precision and focus for lengthy hours provided that the smallest mistake can wreck all the cloth. To print a whole stretch, it may well take a few hours, relying on the kind of print of color wanted.
In addition, all of the effluents generated by the method although the supplies used are pure or licensed protected to be used are handled in an effluent remedy plant arrange in 2000.
Meanwhile, elaborating additional on the enterprise’s sustainable practices Padmini says, “When you look deeper into processes in any traditional craft you find that they are inherently low waste. For instance, all our dyes have been organic certified since inception. Yes, they are more expensive than conventional dyes but we do not want to compromise. We always used organic, earth-friendly dyes, and believed in making quality items over quantity.”
Left: Karigars studying how one can combine colors; Right: Intricate classic motifs handprinted in silk (Image courtesy Tharangini Studio)
Relationship With Artisans
From the very starting, Lakshmi and Padmini have at all times believed in treating their artisan workforce like prolonged household which is why they’ve been with them for a lot of many years.
“One of the biggest lessons for me growing up with my grandmother and mother is a deep respect for karigars, irrespective of their role. I only see myself as a facilitator. Most decisions are done in collaboration with the team. There is no conventional hierarchy in our working space. We have a profit-sharing system, annual increments and everyone gets ‘óffice’ benefits like private medical insurance and paid leave. Without this, the artisan community, more so in a tech city like Bangalore, would not be able to stick with this as a profession. With God’s grace, we were able to support everyone financially through both pandemic lockdowns,” she says.
Central to Tharangini’s mission moreover the enterprise of preserving conventional handicrafts has at all times been their social outreach programmes that started with Lakshmi.
“In the 1990s, we had collaborated with the Karnataka State Women’s Welfare board to impart free training to women in natural dyes. Several other smaller NGOs have also trained with us over the years. In 2016, we started a wonderful collaboration with youth from Asha Foundation for Autism and Navprabhuti Trust. They are one of the oldest organisations in Bengaluru focused on their education and vocational training. The city has several such community centres, primarily run by women (mothers, volunteers, teachers). Our flagship collaborator Navprabhuti Trust now has several talented women block print artisans and specially-abled artisans. We hope to expand this to many more,” says Padmini.
Moving forward, in May 2022, the enterprise will likely be celebrating their 45th yr of existence. Given how expertise and enterprise practices have modified quickly within the garment business, it’s fairly exceptional that an entity like Tharangini Studio continues to face tall.
“Since the pandemic began, there is an increased awareness among consumers in all things organic, natural and handmade, especially among conscious consumers. I feel the world of Instagram has made people more aware of the people behind the products they purchase, and the process involved, which will benefit our venture,” she provides.
(You can observe Tharangini Studio on Instagram right here.)
(Edited by Yoshita Rao)
