The NYT spotlight on one of India’s glorious albeit neglected art traditions

The Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing in Jaipur is dedicated to the fine art tradition of hand-block printing. The institution offers a precious glance at the rich work of the country’s block print artisans. Housed in a restored 16th-century palace near the historic Amber Fort, the small museum is comprised of exhibits laid out over three spacious floors. They display extremely intricate workmanship leading to a painstaking process of hand-block printing.

Wood carving is one step in the glorious Indian hand-block printing tradition that has adorned royal robes and religious cloths for centuries. The museum’s director, Rachel Bracken-Singh, mentions: “Until it was opened, there was hardly any way for people to see a block printer or carver actually at work — there wasn’t any easy access to authentic information.”

Until exporters made their entry into the minuscule market for Hand Printing, there was hardly any innovation or efficiency in production, patterns, design or color. However, infusion of new tastes and introduction of a viable marketplace helped kick start creativity and experimentation. “In in way the only possibility of keeping the tradition alive was to contemporize it, states the museum director, Rachel Bracken-Singh.

The museum strives to preserve the captivating craft; it’s also a site of preservation in itself, so to say. The Singh family bought the palace in 1989 on a whim. The structure was almost in ruins then. Restoration activity using traditional techniques was completed in 1995, but the idea of a museum would originate much later. With its carved windows and apricot-colored walls, the restored palace is remarkable. It also received an award from Unesco for building preservation a decade ago.

It took almost two years for designing and building it, with funds made available by Anokhi. Stephane Paumier, an architect from France, designed its interiors as well as display cases. Anokhi Museum wants to cherish and propagate block printing. Ms. Bracken-Singh states, “The craftspeople must have pride in their work and it should be respected.”