Block making and block printing are the oldest technique to create designs or patterns on fabrics manually. Block printing is a textile art where the wooden blocks are carved finely by hand to form a design on fabrics. The earlier wooden block was having very simple structures without the handle and was pressed on the fabric with hand. Later on, wooden blocks were developed with the handle for ease of printing. Wooden blocks are the main source for block printing, where the printing surface will be the elevated portion of the block and the negative space is the part of the image where there will be no ink, which shows the fabric colour being printed on. A block printing is a mirror image of the block hence the block is carved as a mirror image. The traditional printing families never sold old blocks. If the blocks are too old and unworkable, they disperse in the river which is eco-friendly. It shows how much important these blocks are to the printers.
Sagwaan wood locally known as Saag or Sagi is considered as the best for the block making because it is easily available locally and found abundantly in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The colour of the Sagwaan is golden yellow, which turns into dark brown in colour slowly and then to black colour with the age. The important feature is the natural oil in the wood, which helps in its preservation. The sagwaan wood is easy to carve excellently, due to the lack of fibers. Then the wood will be seasoned for the durability of the block. The seasoning is done by keeping wood in water for a long time and then dried. In villages, wood is kept often in the village ponds or lakes for months for seasoning. According to the census conducted by the government of India, traditional carpenters developed the craft. The craftsmen who engaged in this work mostly belong to the Gajjar Suthar caste. The caste trusts it is the progeny of Vishwakarma (architect of gods).
The Pethapur block makers believe that many centuries ago, women got bored with the white plain clothes and they started to create their garments designs by dipping bangles in colour. The carpenters observed and decided to offer women with several designs and then they started hand block printing on fabric.
Mr. Mukesh. P. Prajapati, a well-known craftsman from Pethapur village in Gandhinagar, who started a career in his early age of 15. It will take almost 3 years to learn this craft and he trained his sons and cousin for this unique craft. Wooden block making has been the most common occupation among the natives of Pethapur for about 250 years.
The design of the wooden block is developed on the paper. Then the wood is cut mechanically or manually according to the required size and seasoned. Once done with the cutting and seasoning, the pattern or design is transferred to the wood. This whole process is called likhai.
