“It all begins with a single thread and ends with a single thread,” says Rekha Ben Vaghela with a faint smile. She is sitting at her handloom weaving a single ikat patolu in her house in Mota Timbla village of Gujarat. “In the beginning we wind the bobbin with a single thread and in the end, we transfer the now dyed thread onto the bobbin,” Rekha Ben explains the many processes of patola making that come before the bobbins for the weft thread are ready, and the warp thread is set on the loom.
Many in the Vankarvas in this village in Surendranagar district where she lives are engaged in one or the other task related to making the famous silk sarees known as patolu . But Rekha Ben, in her 40s today, is the only Dalit woman patola maker in Limbdi taluka, weaving single and double ikat patola. (Read: The warp and the weft of Rekha Ben’s life ).
The patola from Surendranagar are known as ‘zalawadi’ patola , often cheaper than those made in Patan. Originally known for its single ikat patola , vankars (weavers) in Zalawad now also weave double ikat ones. “In single ikat , the design is only on the weft. In double ikat, both the warp and the weft have a design,” says Rekha Ben, explaining the difference between the two kinds of patola .
It is the design that complicates the process. Rekha Ben is trying to explain it one more time. “A single ikat patolu has 3,500 warp threads and 13,750 weft threads. While a double ikat one has 2,220 warp threads and 9,870 weft threads,” she says sliding the bobbin with the weft thread into the shuttle.
'It all begins with a single thread and ends with a single thread,' says Rekha Ben Vaghela, the only Dalit woman patola maker in Limbdi taluka of Gujarat. She is explaining the process that begins with the hank of silk yarn and finishes with the last thread going into the 252- inch long patola saree. Work involving over six months of labour
The sight of the bobbin brings the image of 55-year-old Ganga Ben Parmar in front of my eyes. “We take the hank of yarn on a big wooden spool first and then from there on to a bobbin with the help of a spinning wheel. You cannot wind the bobbin without the spinning wheel,” she had said while working on one at her home in Limbdi’s Ghagharetiya village.
“Where are you lost?” Rekha Ben’s voice brings me back to our discussion of the patola threads, a complex process that she has been explaining to me for the nth time that day. “Write,” she commands fixing her eyes on my notebook. She stops weaving for a while, trying to ensure that I understand the process completely.
I write down the steps process, quite intricate with more than a dozen steps, that can last over weeks and will involve many more workers beyond the weaver. The process that begins with the hank of silk yarn and finishes with the last thread going into the 252-inch long patola saree, can take six months of labour.
“A single mistake at any step and you are sure to ruin the patolu ,” she pronounces.
Fifty-five-year-old Gangaben Parmar of Ghaghretia village takes the silk thread from the hank onto a big wooden spool, and from there with the help of a spinning wheel she carries the thread onto a bobbin. 'I have been working for thirty years. I have some difficulty in vision these days. But if I sit here all day long I can wind 20 or 25 bobbins in a day'
Gautam Bhai Vaghela of Mota Timbla stretches the yarn threads from the bobbins on the big wooden frame with pegs known as aada as a way to prepare the paati (the cluster of threads) for the next step
The silk threads stretched across aada to form appropriate clusters before marking the design
Ashok Parmar, 30, of Nana Timbla village transfers the separated thread clusters onto another frame where they will be first marked with a coal and then tied according to a design originally prepared on a piece of paper
Kishore Manji Bhai Gohil, 36, from Kataria village making gaath (knots) on the yarn stretched on the frame. This involves binding the clustered silk threads with a cotton string, a resist-dyeing technique used in patola -making. The knots ensure that during the dyeing process the colour does not reach the tied parts of the yarn, making a design on the thread
Mahendra Vaghela, 25, carrying the now tied clusters of once coloured yarn for a second round of dyeing. The processes of colouring, tying and dyeing the threads are repeated multiple times in the patola- making process depending on the design and the colours used in a patolu
Mahendra is soaking the already tied and dyed yarn into boiling water mixed with hydro. ' When a new colour has to be applied on an already coloured yarn, you need to remove or lighten the previous colour by soaking the yarn clusters in boiling water with hydro [sodium hydro sulphite] ,' says Rekha Ben
' While dyeing you need to be careful that the colour does not enter the knots,' explains Mahendra dipping the yarn into a steaming bucket for the second coat of colour. 'A worker knows through experience when the colour would enter the knots, when to stir the solution, how long to immerse the yarn in the water accordingly,' he says
Mahendra immerses and washes the now coloured yarn into cold water. ' There are many colours on a single silk thread in a patolu and the design looks beautiful because of these colours. The combination of colours is important. It should be eye-catching,' says weaver Vikram Bhai Parmar
After dyeing coloured yarn is drained and dried. Jagdish Raghu Bhai Gohil of Kataria village takes the dyed yarn back on a small wooden frame to remove the cotton strings or knots
Seventy-five-year-old Vali Ben Vaghela of Mota Timbla untie the knots using a small needle. Depending on the intricacy of the pattern the process of tying, colouring, dyeing, and untying has to be repeated multiple times to make a single patolu
Jasu Ben Vaghela winds the prepared weft thread, complete with design, on a big wooden spool
Fifty-eight-year-old Shantu ben Raghu Bhai Gohil of Kataria winds the now ready weft threads on a bigger wooden spool
Heera Ben Gohil, 56, of Kataria takes the coloured thread from the spool to wind the bobbin. The ready bobbins will be placed in a shuttle while weaving the patola
Weavers of Mota Timbla stretching the yarn after it is coloured. In a double ikat patola both the warp and the weft yarn are coloured and has a design. So, after the yarn is ready with the pattern it is stretched between two poles placed across the street
Weavers of Mota Timbla starching the stretched warp yarn to strengthen it
Vasaram Bhai Solanki of Mota Timbla joining the new starched threads with the ends of the old threads coming out from the heddles. 'Ash is used to join the silk threads,' he says
Poonja Bhai Vaghela is sleying the loom with warp threads, placing the big beam with the coloured yarn on the loom
Praveen Bhai Gohil, 50, and Premila Ben Gohil, 45, weaving single ikat patola in Kataria village. The cost of the teakwood loom alone could be as high as Rs. 35,000 - 40,000 and not every weaver can afford to buy one
Dana Bhai Dulera, one of the early artisans who introduced the craft of patola to the Dalit community in Kataria
Ashok Vaghela weaving a single ikat patolu
Bhavesh Kumar Solanki of Mota Timbla weaving a double Ikat piece
In double ikat both the warp and the weft have a design, unlike in a single ikat patola where only the weft thread has a design
Patola,
handwoven silk fabrics, often sarees, known for their intricate double ikat weave are popular across the world
