INDIGO from KUTCH

There was a time when the indigo plant grew wild during the monsoon around the Saran Ganga River near Dhamadka, Kutch. These shrubs called neervel are a variation of the indigo plant (Indigofera tinctoria). When the neervel shrubs were around a couple of months old, three to four feet tall and covered with pale pink flowers, it was a sign that the leaves were ready to be harvested. The shade of the dye extracted from its leaves was greyish-blue.

There were stone vats kept near the Saran Ganga River, and these were used to make the indigo ‘cakes’. The leaves of the neervel bush would be soaked in stone vats filled with water, and a heavy stone placed over the leaves to keep them completely submerged. The next morning, the leaves would be beaten to a pulp. This pulp would again be soaked in water and kept overnight. In the morning the leaves would be removed and discarded. The pale-yellow water in the vat would be churned for a few hours. This would trigger a process of oxidation, which would result in micro-crystals being formed. Once these crystals were visible, the churning would stop.

A solution of lime and water was added to the vat and then mixed thoroughly. Further churning would create masses of foam, and again the solution was left overnight to rest. The next morning the crystals would settle down and without disturbing them the clear water was decanted. The slurry left at the bottom of the vat was removed and divided into small portions. Each portion would be kept on a piece of fine cotton cloth and tied into a small bundle. These bundles would be placed on sand for all the water to drain. After a few days the residue formed indigo cakes, which had a very long shelf life.

The dyers of Kutch now buy ready-to-use indigo cakes. To prepare the indigo vat, indigo cakes are put into terracotta vats filled with fresh water. Lime, soda ash, kuwadiyana beej (Cassia tora) and a little jaggery are added, mixed well, and allowed to ferment for at least 15 days. A skilled dyer would know when the dyebath is ready from the smell. Sometimes, the dyer would test the solution by putting a drop of it at the back of his tongue to check the intensity of the dye.

Today it is difficult to differentiate between natural and synthetic indigo and, very often, synthetic indigo cloth is passed off as natural indigo. The molecular composition of natural and synthetic indigo is the same, and an identical process of creating a vat for dyeing is followed for both. An experienced dyer can differentiate between the two from the smell of the vat or the dyed fabric. Alternatively, they can be identified when the dye in the vat is churned, for the synthetic indigo creates much more foam than natural indigo.

Synthetic indigo is almost pure indigotin and gives a consistent blue shade while natural indigo shade is not consistent as the crop is dependent on varying weather, soil and climatic conditions. Synthetic indigo produces an even blue that never varies, but the tone of blue is sharper than the charming, muted shade of natural indigo. Many fashion designers, high-end retailers and artists now prefer to work with natural indigo as it is an eco-friendly dye and offers a softer tone, unlike the sharpness of the synthetic colour.