Rajasthan is home to some vibrant colours, old monumental palaces, trinkets, clothes and beautiful paintings and the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing, helps restoring a part of these arts, block printing, in particular.
They preserve contemporary fabrics with block printing designs, created by various artisans, inside the museum.
The museum was started by Anokhi, a popular clothing line that sells garments with block prints to stores across the country. Faith Singh, who is behind the restoration of the mansion, is also the woman behind Anokhi, so all in all, this project is solely conceptualised and brought to light by the clothing brand itself.
After visiting Jaipur, a lot of tourists get curious about block printing as an art- mostly about the historical aspect of it and the technical details. This museum was hence set up to bring to light traditional and contemporary ways in which this craft is still being used in clothing.
The museum has signboards as you enter which explain the process of block-printing and the manufacturing of organic dyes {used for block printing}. Inside the museum, a lot of garment with block-prints are on display, along with the blocks used on them. You can also witness artisans and craftsmen demonstrating their work and learn a lot about the entire process, step by step.
The museum also holds a lot of workshops relating to block-printing. So if you’re a student, a housewife or someone who needs a break from your mundane job routine, you can come here and learn something new.
The museum is open six days of the week {barring Mondays} and is functional from morning to evening. You can visit their website to know more details. Next time you find yourself in Jaipur, definitely take a day out and visit the place preserving the forgotten art of block printing.
