Workshop: Learn to extract colours from berries, roots and flowers

Participants get down and dirty

Extracting natural dye from the most unexpected ingredients is an ancient art. Iteeha, a design firm that promotes folk art, in association with ARTISANS', a social enterprise that supports India's indigenous arts, is conducting a two-day workshop in an effort to help participants learn and preserve the art of making natural dyes from plant sources such as roots, berries, bark, leaves, and wood.

Commonly known as Indian madder, manjistha is boiled to extract colour, after which the waste is kept for drying

Ritika Jhunjhunwala, the coordinator for the workshop, sheds light on what participants can expect. "The workshop will be taught by a master craftsman from Rajasthan. Over two days, we aim to provide the participants with a basic understanding of natural dyes, and help them learn the technique of extracting natural colours," she says, adding, "While we are active consumers of fabrics made from natural dyes, we are often unaware of how these works of art come about, or how to take care of them."

The workshop is open to those aged 12 years and above. All the materials required, like silk and cotton fabrics, dyes, minerals and dye fixer, will be provided at the event itself.

On: July 5 and 6, 11 am to 4 pm (both days)
At: ARTISANS', Kala Ghoda, Fort
Call: 7506122332
Cost: Rs 3,300