How Ajrakhpur Unblocked All Hurdles - Ahmedabad Mirror

1/29/2018 How Ajrakhpur unblocked all hurdles - Ahmedabad Mirror

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HOW AJRAKHPUR UNBLOCKED ALL HURDLES

Ahmedabad Mirror | Updated: Jan 26, 2018, 02.00 AM IST

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By: Kulsum Yusuf

It was on this day in 2001that a major earthquake rattled the whole of Gujarat, with the epicenter being in Kutch. Dhamadka, a tiny village in Anjar taluka of the district populated by Muslim Khatris, was among the villages that perished in the quake. The Khatris are traditionally involved in the art of block printing called Ajrakh. After the tragedy, those left behind were staring at a bleak future ahead paved with uncertainties.

And here on began the task of bringing them together, relocating them to a new village and ensuring that their skills were put to good use. Today, 17 years after the devastating tragedy, the block printers have been successfully rehabilitated, their craft is going strong and they have been exporting fabrics to countries as far as Canada. The change in their lives can be credited to Dr Ismail Khatri, the village elderly.

This is how Ajrakhpur looks now. Hundreds of ajrakh artisans live here. They moved here from Dhamadka that perished in the 2001 quake

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After the quake, the water tables shifted and water being their main resource for Ajrakh printing, it became difficult for them to sustain their livelihood. (Ajrakh derives its name from the Hindi phrase aaj ke din rakh, meaning ‘keep it for today’.) Dr Khatri organised a series of community meetings of hundreds of artisans and discussed the relocation and rehabilitation plans.

“Teams were sent to different parts of Kutch to look for a suitable place and finally a large tract of land, 10 km from Bhuj, was chosen on the basis of availability of water, and education and medical facilities,” he said. Nearly 45 acres of land was bought and registered in March 2001 and this village came to be known as Ajrakhpur. The move was not without hardships. As per the authorities, these villagers who originally came from Anjar taluka were not eligible for grant or rehabilitation assistance from the government, said Khatri. The artisans were left to fend for themselves.

“NGOs like Vivekanand Research and Training Institute helped us immensely with their workshops and Jamiyat e Ulema e Hind helped us rebuild our homes. As we had a readymade water source, we could begin our work as soon as we shifted here. A lot of work has gone into putting up all that you see here today,” said artisan Sufiyan Khatri. Junaid Khatri said it was due to the wisdom and guidance of the village elders that they were able to slowly and gradually rebuild their homes and lives. Today, the village is known across the globe for the mastery of the artisans practising the centuries-old printing technique.

Dr Khatri has organised workshops in the US and was awarded an honorary doctorate from De Montfort University in Leicester in 2003. He is also the recipient of UNESCO Award for Excellence in Handicrafts. It is not that difficulties do not exist for the artisans anymore, but the fact that they have been able to build back everything from a scratch despite the deadly tragedy 17 years ago gives them strength to move on. “We have made several representations to the district administration for water and sanitation but these have fallen on deaf ears. The artisans are trying their best to maintain cleanliness and have been using their resources wisely,” said Bhavnaben Khungal, sarpanch of Ajrakhpur village.

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