Rajkot Patolas: Learning New Skills

Patan, in Gujarat, is famous for its opulent double ikat sarees, the patolas. The warp and weft are both tie-dyed according to a predetermined pattern and interlaced while weaving, to create intricate patterns. Woven on a basic two-paddle loom, it takes anywhere from six to eight months to create a patola saree. All adult members of the weaver’s family are involved in the process from tying the pattern before dyeing, making the warp and weft frame, winding bobbins and weaving.

Two people sit next to each other at the loom. The master weaver throws the shuttle, the weft thread, across the width while the other person adjusts the selvedge which helps to align the warp and weft threads. A needle is used to further adjust the threads for better clarity of the design. These exquisite patola sarees have motifs of parrots, elephants and birds, and geometric designs, and producing them is a time consuming exercise. They are expensive so only the affluent can afford them, and they were traditionally gifted by the mother-in-law to a Hindu or Jain bride.

In some ways, the Rajkot single ikat patola story is interwoven with that of the non-violent movement to liberate India from British rule. In 1920, Mahatma Gandhi presented to the nation the novel idea of non-co-operation, and directed people to boycott British goods, stop working for British organisations, and start wearing indigenously produced khadi fabrics. In 1939, Gandhiji returned to Rajkot, where he had had his schooling, to help set up the Rastriya Shala. It was the first of many institutions that would help develop and incubate the values of Swaraj (self-rule) and inculcate a sense of national pride in the country, which would instigate action and lead to freedom from colonial rule. Shri Lakhajiraj, ruler of the state of Rajkot, who was a great admirer of Gandhiji, gave 66,000 square yards of land at minimum cost to set up the Rastriya Shala, which started functioning under the guidance of Kanubhai, Gandhiji’s nephew.

The Rastriya Shalas become a vocational training centres around the country and conducted workshops in spinning, weaving, pottery, carpentry, oil extraction, toy and soap making and others to upgrade the skills of the local artisans. The Rastriya Shala also had a charkha manufacturing centre, and ran a primary school as well as a centre where students could learn music, dance and other art forms.

In 1953, Govindbhai Makwana, who was heading the textile division at Rastriya Shala at Rajkot, had the innovative idea of teaching the patola technique to a few accomplished weavers to help them improve their earnings. Patola sarees, which were woven in the town of Patan, were in demand, so he invited an experienced patola weaver from Patan to provide training to five experienced, A-grade weavers. The weavers were offered a stipend to spend a few months at the centre to master the new technique.

During the programme, Govindbhai realised that double ikat sarees were expensive as this technique is very time consuming and labour intensive, and hence would have a limited market. For double ikat sarees, the warp and weft threads are tie-dyed to a specific pattern and the weaving takes longer as each weft thread needs to align with the warp thread pattern for clarity of design.

Govindbhai felt it would be better to develop a new brand of weft ikat sarees (often referred to as single ikat sarees) in which the warp is in a plain colour and the weft threads are tie-dyed to create a pattern. Using this technique would cut the production cost and the sarees would become accessible to a wider market, which would then create work for a greater number of weavers. Within a short time, these weavers developed their own style and today Rajkot patolas have developed their own strong identity and a sustained market for their produce.