MP's Bagh print art set for global spotlight at Paris fair

One of the five best artisans of the form selected by the Union Ministry of Textiles, Khatri will give a live demonstration of the 400-year-old hand-block printing technique at the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre in Paris.

Madhya Pradesh's iconic ''Bagh'' print art is set to go global, as National Award-winning artisan Mohammad Bilal Khatri will showcase the form at the prestigious ''Foire de Paris'' in France starting April 30, an official said on Monday. One of the five best artisans of the form selected by the Union Ministry of Textiles, Khatri will give a live demonstration of the 400-year-old hand-block printing technique at the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre in Paris. The fair will be held at the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre in Paris from April 30 to May 11. International visitors will be able to witness designs emerging on fabrics through traditional natural dyes, carved wooden blocks, and handmade techniques. This will provide a unique opportunity to understand the depth and beauty of Indian handicrafts, the official said. He said that the designs created for the exhibition blend traditional Indian crafts with modern global aesthetics, and these works, designed keeping in mind the preferences of the European market, will give Bagh a new international identity. Bagh, a traditional hand-block printing art comprising geometric and floral motifs that has received the GI tag, flourished in the Bagh region of Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh. Bagh is a small tribal town inhabited by the Bhil and Bhilala communities, and home to the ancient Bagh Caves. This art tradition is believed to have been established by the Khatri community, who migrated from the Larkana region of Sindh around 400 years ago, the official said. Cotton and silk fabrics are prepared using traditional processes, and a mixture of iron corrosion, dhawadi flowers, and myrobalan, along with alum and alizarin, is used. Skilled artisans create designs on wooden blocks and then fill them by hand with mixtures. The finished textiles are washed in running water and dried in the sun, achieving a distinctive Bagh finish.