BHARATI PAWASKAR
Colours speak of life, love and celebration. An inseparable part of our culture, they add vibrancy to our lives. When found scattered on the canvas of Mother Earth in the form of flora and fauna or birds and animals, we find them pretty and adorable. When added to food or painted on wood, wall, paper, cloth or canvas, they still make a beautiful piece of art. Just like a tailor makes a man, colourful attires make a celebrity out of an ordinary.
“But how many of us are conscious or aware that colours we wear so comfortably on our bodies can also cause harm?” asks Arun Baid, master and pioneer in the field of herbal dyeing who is working to educate people about making and using herbal colours that are not only eco-friendly but also are entirely non-toxic in nature. Arun has a rare herbal dye patent to his name in India and USA. He also has patents for the process of herbal dyeing in textiles. His achievements in the field of organic and herbal textiles are exemplary in India and abroad.
Colour Ashram, a studio set up at Assagao by Arun with designer Namrata Manot, who too has been exploring the techniques and possibilities within the dyeing industry, is in its second year of connecting people with herbal and plant based dyes and colours. It teaches the processes and techniques to play with the multiple shades of nature. A platform for sharing knowledge, Colour Ashram also offers fully natural dyes on organic fabric and dye kits to dye one’s own clothes at home in washing machine.
Colour Ashram will be conducting workshops for adults and children from May 31 to June 2 at the IndiGenius Fest at Saraya Sangolda. There would be herbal dyes and paste for fabrics and yarn, herbal paints for paper and canvas, herbal paints for wood and walls. There would be dye kits for block print, batik, basic dyeing, indigo, festival colours to play during Holi and to use on paper, canvas, screen printing, tie-dye etc. Training would be offered to individuals, groups, companies, and designers to transition from synthetic to natural dyeing.
“Rich in nature, Goa and Konkan belt produces ample amount of fruits which are natural dyes, for eg, kokum is a natural dye. Currently operating from North Goa, very soon, Colour Ashram will spread its wings to South Goa,” discloses Arun who also runs a dyeing unit in Ahmedabad, Truetone Ink Pvt Ltd that supplies natural and herbal dyed textiles, yarns, dyes, innerwear, T-shirts, home linen etc. There was a reason why he started Truetone.
Few know that the clothes we wear are dyed using harmful chemicals which can be a serious cause for asthma, allergies and skin diseases. The colours on our chemically dyed fabrics can give rise to various types of diseases. Is there any solution for this? Can eco-friendly colours be used so that they do not cause us harm? Concerned by these questions Arun set out to find answers.
Until then, he was actively recycling chemical waste generated in the processing of textiles, steel and other chemical industries and was the only person in India doing so. He recalls, “We recycled 50 tonnes a day and this was a huge volume. Indeed it was profitable. But it did have negative points. I realized that no matter how hard we try to recycle hazardous waste, it generates another type of chemical waste which is equally harmful. I was the first hand witness to this harmful cycle. My research instinct began protesting this and I quit.”
Arun started research in 2000 and it took him 17 years to come out with his first fabric for commercial use through herbal dying. Beginning with five meters a day, today he manufactures 2000 meter textile fabric per day in the name of Aura Herbal Textile.
“Aura believes in natural dyeing! Globally, nobody has done this. It’s my wish that all should use this technique. I cannot produce herbally dyed textile for the entire world but I can share my technique with all and make them self-sufficient to produce their own herbal dyes and colour anything - wood, wall, paper or canvas,” quips Arun.
Colour Ashram aims to educate people about the harmful effects of chemicals in colours and offer eco-friendly herbal alternatives. Goa being the center of global art and energy, Arun chose it to setup Colour Ashram. Beginning in Assagao he plans to open his second in Benaulim where he would invite people who would seriously learn the technique.
“Our courses are designed to suit the requirements of participants. Individuals and institutions come here to learn the technique and implement it. Truetone takes care of the finance for supporting Colour Ashram, a knowledge sharing platform. Aura Herbal Textiles serves those who want ready to use fabric. Let us discard all that’s harmful and embrace herbal alternatives so that we live healthy!” concludes Arun.
