What is a Rogan painting, Gujarat's special artwork that PM Modi gifted to Japan’s Fumio Kishida?

What is a Rogan painting, Gujarat's special artwork that PM Modi gifted to Japan’s Fumio Kishida?

Rogan painting is an art of cloth printing practised in the Kutch District of Gujarat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was attending the Quad leader’s meeting in Tokyo earlier this week, is known to present world leaders and counterparts with unique gifts that are rich in Indian tradition and culture.

This time, PM Modi dazzled Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida by gifting him a wooden hand-carved box with a Rogan painting, which is an intricate and unique form of art, originating from Gujarat, which is the Indian PM’s home state.

The beautiful Rogan painting gifted to Kishida by PM Modi was an impeccable display of craftsmanship, with beautiful gold and white design painting on a green cloth, which was placed on a hand-carved wooden box that was deep brown in colour.

PM Narendra Modi also gifted a Rogan painting from Gujarat to the Queen of the Kingdom of Denmark, Margrethe II during his three-day Europe tour earlier this month.

What is a Rogan painting, Gujarat's special artwork that PM Modi gifted to Japan’s Fumio Kishida?
Painting exchanged for grilled cheese sandwich by artist 50 years ago etches $270,000 at auction

What is a Rogan painting?

Rogan painting is an art of cloth printing practised in the Kutch District of Gujarat. In this craft, paint made from boiled oil and vegetable dyes is laid down on fabric using either a metal block (printing) or a stylus (painting).

The word ‘Rogan’ comes from Persian, meaning varnish or oil. The process of making Rogan painting is very laborious and skilful. The craft nearly died out in the late 20th century, with Rogan painting being practised by only one family.

Artists place a small amount of this paint paste into their palms. At room temperature, the paint is carefully twisted into motifs and images using a metal rod that never comes in contact with the fabric. Next, the artisan folds his designs into a blank fabric, thereby printing its mirror image.

In effect, it is a very basic form of printing. Previously the designs were simple and rustic in nature but with the passage of time, the craft has become more stylized and now is regarded as a high art form.

This craft is a form of surface embellishment and practised for over a hundred years, but now by only a single-family in Nirona, Kachchh. A special paste made of castor is used in this craft. Castor seeds are hand-pounded to extract the oil and turned into a paste by boiling, Colored powder diluted in water is then mixed with this.

The pastes of different colours yellow, red, blue, green, black and orange are stored in earthen pots with water to prevent them from drying up.

PM Modi met with Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida during the Quad summit, which was also attended by US President Joe Biden and Australian PM Anthony Albanese. The Quad meeting led to the discussion of various issues such as the Russia-Ukraine war, the Indo-Pacific region and the Covid-19 pandemic.

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