RK DerawalaBagru · RajasthanHand printed in Bagru Made to be held
Enquire
Hand block printing / BagruRajasthan, India
Close view of hand printed floral motifs on cloth
Motif / Memory
Red hand printed textile hanging among leaves
Cloth / Colour
Indigo printed cloth drying in Bagru
From Bagru

A living textile tradition

Printed by hand.Held in memory.

Colour, cloth and generations of knowledge—impressed one block at a time.

Enter the story
RK Derawala · BagruScroll to discover Bagru film: Incredible India · edited excerpt · CC BY 3.0
01 / The storyPlace · People · Practice

A pattern begins
with a person.

In Bagru, printing is a conversation between wood, cloth, colour and the hand that brings them together.

Ram Kishore Chhipa seated with members of the Derawala family before indigo printed fabric
The Derawala family · Bagru

RK Derawala works within the living tradition of hand block printing and Dabu mud-resist craft. The knowledge is carried through practice: preparing cloth, placing each impression, and allowing colour and sunlight their part.

These textiles hold the small variations that only human hands can leave.

Follow the making
Floral printed textile beside an open craft publication
Motif / Memory
02 / The makingFrom block to cloth

Follow
the mark.

Choose a stage to see how a motif finds its way onto cloth.

Wooden printing blocks laid on a workshop surface01 / 04View source post ↗
Carve / Bagru

A motif begins in carved wood. Outline, ground and detail find their place through a maker's practiced eye.

Notes from Bagru

The beauty lives
in the variation.

No two impressions carry quite the same pressure. That is the trace of the maker, left in the cloth.

Wood / Earth / Colour / Time
In the pagesAn interactive craft journal

Turn the page.
Follow the craft.

A small look at the hands, tools and cloth behind each impression.

The craft journal · 01

From hand
to cloth.

RK DerawalaOpen to explore ↗
RK Derawala / Bagru01

A place called Bagru

Derawala family with indigo printed cloth

Here, the language of print is learned by doing, then carried from one generation to the next.

Place / People
RK Derawala / Bagru02

The carved block

Carved wooden printing blocks in the workshop

A motif begins in wood. Each placement leaves a small record of the hand behind it.

Wood / Motif
RK Derawala / Bagru03

Colour from nature

Indigo printed cloth drying outdoors

Natural colours and vegetable dyes are part of Bagru's established printing practice.

Earth / Colour
RK Derawala / Bagru04

The finished cloth

Hand block printed motifs on pale cloth

Fabric, sarees, dupattas and stoles make room for the marks and variations of handmade work.

Cloth / Memory
End of the journal

The story
continues.

Bagru, RajasthanRK Derawala
Cover

Tap or drag a page · Use the arrows below

From the workshopIn motion / On Instagram

Closer to
the table.

Little moments from the making, shared by RK Derawala.

Hands positioning a printing block on striped cloth
01 The human rhythm Watch reel ↗
Carved wooden blocks arranged on a workshop floor
02 Tools of the trade Watch reel ↗
03 / The textilesAn evolving archive

Cloth for a life
in colour.

Explore the forms this practice takes. Ask the workshop about pieces currently available.

Explore the cloth / 01—04
Earth-toned hand printed cloth hanging against a stone wall
01 / The collection

Printed fabrics

Red floral printed cloth hanging outdoors
02 / The collection

Sarees

Floral block printed textile beneath an open craft publication
03 / The collection

Dupattas

Earth-toned and black block printed motifs on pale cloth
04 / The collection

Stoles

04 / A closer lookThe detail is the difference
Made visible

Look closer.See the hand.

In every repeat, small shifts of pressure and placement remain visible. Move across the cloth to see the motif at its own scale.

See the original textile
Motif study / 01Tap to explore the surface
05 / The artisan archiveRam Kishore Chhipa (Derawala)

A life's work,
recognised.

The Padma Shri and National Award honour Ram Kishore Chhipa (Derawala) and his contribution to hand block printing.

Read the artisan profile
Ram Kishore Chhipa receiving the Padma Shri at a formal ceremony
Ram Kishore Chhipa · Padma Shri
2009Padma Shri
Government of India · Art
1987National Award
Hand block printing
06 / Work with usBegin with a conversation

However you find us,
begin in Bagru.

Every enquiry starts with a conversation about the cloth.

Earth-toned hand block printed textile hanging against stone
Personal enquiries

Ask about the fabrics, sarees, dupattas or stoles currently available from the workshop.

Ask on WhatsApp
07 / Good to knowQuestions from the workshop

Before the
first message.

A few things to know about the craft and making an enquiry.

It is a textile printing practice rooted in Bagru, Rajasthan. Carved wooden blocks are placed by hand onto cloth to build a repeated motif. RK Derawala also works within the Dabu mud-resist tradition.

The printing process shown by RK Derawala is carried out by hand. Small differences from one impression to the next are part of the character of the cloth.

You can enquire about fabrics, sarees, dupattas and stoles. Ask the workshop directly for current pieces, colours and availability.

Yes. Share the textile type, approximate quantity, timing and any design brief. The workshop can then tell you what may be possible.

Yes. Include your country and what you are looking for in your message. Availability, shipping and export arrangements should be confirmed directly before making plans.

An open invitationBagru, Rajasthan / India

Let's begin with
a conversation.

Ask about the craft, the cloth, or a visit to the workshop.

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