A block of heritage

ISMAIL SULEMAN Khatri is on the threshold of 70. But the man is simply unstoppable. Ask him a simple question about his beautiful block prints, and words flow like water from a faucet. In a stream-of-conscious way he takes you back and forth, traversing the significant milestones in his art.

In Chennai to show his creations (saris, dupattas, bedspreads and yardage), the two-time National Award winner from Madhya Pradesh, will also demonstrate the painstaking printing process at Amethyst, Gopalapuram.

Suleman's is a legacy printed in vibrant hues. Having specialised in cotton for years, the mastercraftsman recently turned to synthetics - and the result was "remarkable". Though the process is more difficult, it finds more takers, he says, displaying some free-flowing crepes with ethnic block prints.

As for the motifs, they are mostly inspired by the flora or fauna, while the colours veer towards a vivid palette. The designs on the rich collection of saris (Rs. 400 onwards) and yardage (Rs. 90 onwards) reflect the artisan's fertile imagination and his traditional sense of permutations and combinations.

The gold blocks on the Maheshwaris, however, are somewhat jazzy.

With effortless cool, Suleman explains the nuances of using dyes and designing motifs.

That age nor adversity have hardly dampened his spirit is evident from the way he relates tales of walking miles to fetch water in Bagh. Incidentally, he is said to be one of the few surviving traditional block printers in the region.

The week-long exhibition, "Bagh", will commence tomorrow, at the Amethyst, 14, Padmavathi Road, Jeypore Colony, Gopalapuram, phone 8203582.

T.KRITHIKA REDDY

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