The Hindu Business Line : A truly <I>anokhi</I> story

The Anokhi experience in Rajasthan proves that it is possible to run a successful craft-based business using traditional techniques and ensuring that both the craft and those involved in it, thrive.

At one level, the story of Anokhi — the word means `remarkable' — — is an account of how a successful apparel label was literally created block-by-wooden block. At another, it is all about the revival of Rajasthan's tradition of hand block-printing. But the most important aspect of the Anokhi story, perhaps, is that it offers a viable business model for the revival of India's traditional crafts. For, the Anokhi experience proves that it is possible to run a successful craft-based business using traditional techniques to meet contemporary tastes, thus ensuring that the craft lives on while providing a livelihood for the men and women involved in the craft.

The Anokhi story itself began a little over 30 years ago in Jaipur, when the brand was created by Faith Singh and J.P. `John' Singh. In the early years, the focus was primarily on reviving Rajasthan's traditional techniques of hand block-printing that had lost local relevance, while simultaneously creating products for Western audiences out of the local craft tradition.

The design team was also constantly experimenting and innovating, especially with modern colours, to see how they could be applied to the craft to make the colour palette more interesting. "Creating an interface between the craft and the market, and providing for contemporary tastes from the traditional craft base has till date remained our ambition," explains Pritam Singh, son of Faith and John Singh and the Managing Director of Registhan Pvt Ltd, the company that owns the Anokhi brand.

From the very beginning, the brand's founders also took a deliberate decision to sell only under the Anokhi label, thereby crafting a very distinct identity for the brand. Even today, all products are sold with the Anokhi label, and carry a tag with information on the craft, Singh points out.

In the early years, exports, particularly to the UK, were the mainstay. In fact, the first Anokhi store in India was opened in Jaipur only in 1984, says Singh, adding that the real foray into the domestic market began only a few years ago. Today, however, the company's domestic business, with a presence in five Indian cities, contributes to approximately half its revenues, he adds.

Meanwhile, the brand started developing its own repertoire of block designs, and ventured into doing its own research and development. This process was driven by the desire to keep the craft relevant by constantly innovating and also to actually show the craftsmen that new designs were possible.

As Anokhi revitalised the craft of hand block-printing, it also evolved its own philosophy of business built on values such as `fair trade', `openness' and `taking care of people'. At the heart of the brand's ethos is the belief that "every Anokhi product should have a craft input in it and by virtue of that support the craft and the craftsmen," says Singh.

In this context, an interesting aspect of the brand is that `ethnic' is not a favourite word at Anokhi. "The word does not convey anything positive. ... We cannot treat craft as a fashion accessory. Craft is different, it is not in or out," he explains.

Coupled with the label's constant emphasis on craft is the strong desire to create as much rural livelihood as possible. "To a large extent modernisation has left out the rural sector, and outside of agriculture, craft is the largest employer in rural India," he adds. With this objective in mind, the company has chosen to `outsource' or decentralise its entire block-printing activity to craftsmen in several villages around Jaipur.

Under the system, the company develops designs in-house, samples them and then sends the fabric, dye and the blocks to artisans in the villages who are free to work at home. The finished, hand block-printed fabric is brought back to the company's facility on the outskirts of Jaipur where it is turned into the final product.

This decentralised system of hand block-printing involves the efforts of over 1,000 craftsmen and helps them work in conditions of their own choosing while, at the same time, providing them with the security of regular work, explains Singh. In fact, creating a safety net for everyone associated — both directly and indirectly — with the company is almost an obsession with the management. The company's decision to venture into the domestic market, for instance, was to a great extent influenced by the desire to secure its "people" from the vagaries of the export business, he explains. "Having our own shops means we can generate year-round work for the craftsmen, and this gives them a sense of security that encourages them to pursue this craft," he adds.

The company has also taken a conscious decision to create employment options for women, particularly from rural areas. "As employment opportunities for women are rather limited in Rajasthan, we decided to adopt a policy of `positive' action," says Singh. In keeping with this philosophy, the company gets much of its embroidery work done by women's groups in the villages around Jaipur. Similarly, a good number of the employees at its manufacturing facility, located in an incredibly green farm on the city's outskirts, are also women.

Healthcare benefits for all employees, a crèche within the premises of the factory and educational support for the children of its employees are some other facilities that are part of the brand's offering to its `people'. For Singh, a student of social anthropology, the most exciting aspect about Anokhi is the continuous effort to create a happy and satisfactory working environment for all people working with the brand.

Looking across at the soothing green swathe of the central courtyard around which the Anokhi complex has been built, Singh is upbeat about future projects including an expansion of the domestic retail network and the creation of a museum of hand block-printing. The Anokhi label, he says, will continue to embrace a tradition of craft and find multiple ways of making that craft available in a consumable form. For the discerning consumer, and for Rajasthan's hand block-printers that is good news indeed.

Printing block by block

The basic elements that go into hand block-printing are very simple. A few blocks of teak wood (though brass is sometimes used), some dyes and a long piece of cloth are all that you need. The first step is to carve the design into the block; a process that can take up to several hours depending on the intricacy of the design.

Once the design has been carved onto the block, the fabric is stretched out on a waist high table and pinned at each end. The required amount of dye, often a natural dye, is poured out into a tray with a metal grid with layers of fabric across it. When the dye fills the tray, the fabric on the grid acts like an inkpad when the block is pressed against it.

The printer presses the block against the inkpad in the tray, always making sure that just the right amount of dye is picked up. The block is then placed carefully on the fabric and struck with the heel of the printer's palm. This process is repeated until the entire piece of cloth is covered. The printer then starts all over again with another block to print another design or colour. The number of blocks used and the time taken to print a single piece of fabric depend on the number of colours used and the intricacy of the design. The more colours used, the greater the time and effort required for carving blocks and printing the cloth.

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