NANDANA HAND BLOCK PRINTING: A STUDY OF TARAPUR'S TEXTILE CRAFT THROUGH THE LENS OF INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS

Abstract

Abstract

India's textile crafts are living repositories of indigenous knowledge, combining technical skill, ecological wisdom, and cultural meaning built up over centuries. Nandana hand block printing, practiced by the Chippa community in the Tarapur and Ummedpura villages of Neemuch district, Madhya Pradesh, is among the least documented of India's resist-printing traditions, overshadowed by better-known crafts such as Ajrakh, Bagh, and Dabu. This paper examines Nandana through the framework of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), showing how the craft integrates material science, hereditary pedagogy, symbolic design, and environmental care into a single, coherent tradition. Drawing on a systematic review of published literature, reports, and documented artisan practice, this study traces Nandana's historical evolution, the Chippa community's knowledge transmission, the indigenous chemistry of dyes and mordants, the symbolism of block-carved motifs, and the ecological logic of the production process. It also highlights the threats facing the craft, that is, declining artisan numbers, industrial competition, and few documentations, alongside emerging revival efforts. The paper argues that Nandana should be understood not as a decorative technique but as a dynamic, community-owned knowledge system with its relevance in sustainable design and heritage conservation.