Jabbar Khatri-Ajrakh


A few decades ago due to the falling demand of indian traditional work, led jabbar khatri to move to Mumbai in search of livelihood. Growing up in the rural landscapes of Kutch, Jabbar bhai did not enjoy working in an urban environment. The fast paced and highly demanding work life took a toll on his health. After much contemplation, he made the decision to move back home and joined a tiles factory in his hometown for a few years, before the unit closed down and left him unemployed. Every hardship is a blessing in disguise if tackled positively. He felt that that was best that he returned back to his ancestral work of block printing. Since he was not a skilled artisan, he trained under a few well known block printers to master the craft and understand the market. Finally in 2015 he started his own Ajrakh printing and dyeing unit. Today Jabbar bhai is an independent artisan with a small team of ten craftsmen that work tirelessly to produce these beautiful Ajrakh prints that are unique to his aesthetic. He works with both cotton and silk materials and makes garments, accessories, and home furnishings out of it.