She knows how to carry her legacy but also to change – meet Phula Kaki

A land brimming with culture and heritage, India, is known for its strong values and vivacious lifestyle – a riot of colours whether it’s the food, cities or clothes.

People who are in the center of keeping the foundations of this effervescent culture strong are our line of artisans – weaving, making and bringing a little part of India to people, one garment at a time.

Phula kaki (In India ‘kaki’ is a name given to an elder woman out of love and respect), now 54, has been printing fabrics, specializing in Dabu craft since 35 years now. Dabu craft is a special ethnic print style from Rajasthan in India and is a type of mud resist hand-block printing. An organic paste is made from clay, limestone, wheat powder and acacia gum and then wooden blocks dipped in this clay are stamped on the clothes. The city of Jaipur where the craft hails from attracts a lot of tourists wanting to witness how the intricate craft of Dabu printing is carried out.

Phula kaki is very proud of what she does for a living.

“What I do runs the house and makes me very happy. It puts food on our plates and a smile to my face everyday because I work hard and love what I do”

The art of Dabu printing has been passed to Phula Kaki through generations. So much so that now her daughters have joined the same line. She is also married in a family of artisans where her father-in-law has been involved in the craft since years.

It worries her that with changing times and westernization the art she specialises in will be lost. She believes in slow living and conserving our heritage.

“Everyone is in a hurry and participating in a race. I want people to slow down and actually live each day to the fullest. Don’t know what everyone is hurriedly moving towards”

At Dressfolk, a brand focused on curating ethnic crafts through sustainable methods of production and blending them in modern avatar of contemporary clothing, she gets to learn a lot of new methods of production. Dynamic, willing to evolve and learn, she quickly adapts to change and loves experimenting with new colors and innovative methods of printing Dabu.

“I am happy to learn new things. It makes me feel like I can also compete with machines. At this age using such organic ways of production at Dressfolk also causes no harm to my health. I am totally against toxic chemical dyes. I also encourage my daughters to join this line.”

Fundamental in holding our foundations strong, Dressfolk is glad to have found honest and vivacious artisans like Phula Kaki. With her infectious smile and zeal to live and work, she can make any hard day a good one.

The Artisans

Bhanwar Lal is a dedicated artisan true to his words and work. His work primarily revolves around  washing the fabric post dyeing.

Rama Devi, a multi-tasker is a block printer for Dressfolk by the day and a wife by the evening. A breath of fresh air, she comes up with new block designs always pushing her limits and breaking monotony.

Phula Kaki is the oldest artisan in Dressfolk and the legacy of Dabu art form has passed on to her for generations. Her dynamism always ensures that she is open to innovation and change and she adapts to new eco-friendly technologies of production, at par with anyone younger to her.

Geeta has an eye for details.  She inspects the printed fabric for irregularities and defects.

Article by Prerna Sengal.