20 years of Journey of Aranya Natural Welfare Project for Challenged Young People through Natural Dyeing

摘要

ARANYA-Natural is a natural dye unit was started in the year 1994 as a community social welfare initiative by Tata Global Beverages.Limited,at Munnar,Kerala,to revitalize this ancient art of natural dyeing and thus to provide livelihood for the differently abled youth in this plantation district.Initiated by Mrs Ratna Krishnakumar,Mrs.Victoria Vijayakumar is associated with Aranya from the day of inception till today.The fabrics here are naturally dyed and processed with the hands of people cherishing their intuitive skills.This unit uses natural,self-produced and treated dyes to colour and print natural fabrics sourced from around India.There is no dearth of organic and natural resources-Eucalyptus and Mulberry leaves,Eupatorium,Lemon grass,pine cones-in the forests of Munnar.Other than these,they also use pomegranate,catechu,jackfruit,myrabolan,henna,self-cultivated indigo and tea waste to get rich,vibrant and natural tones of colour for their products.Living in close proximity to nature,ensuring that her delicate balance remains intact,they derive their dyes from things that nature discards.From start to finish,quality is a habit here and it keeps pace with every step of the process.These materials are then given the final touch-an embellishment of creative designs and intricate patterns,using different methods like block printing,batik,mordant printing and Shibori,a Japanese version of the elaborate tie-and-dye technique.With a view to keeping the spirit of innovation alive,the employees are introduced to new techniques through workshops conducted by professionals from the industry.Shibori was one such,conducted by Ms.Yoshiko Wada,a senior designer and president of the World Shibori Network.Where every individual is encouraged to experiment with designs and patterns,innovation is not far behind.One such original technique in Shibori,by employee Arumugam,brought him not only national and international recognition,he was also honoured by his variation being named 'aru shibori' after him.Another employee,Sri Kala Devi,working with nui shibori created a new pattern,of which she is rightly proud and calls "The Tree of Life".Employees of Aranya,many of whom have gone abroad to demonstrate their skills and to further enhance them.Each employee's determination and perseverance to excel has ensured that today they have some of the most prominent design houses from across the world as their clientele.These enterprising young adults remind us that the human spirit is indomitable and will rise to its full potential to surmount obstacles,if the will is strong.Aranya remains a nonprofit enterprise.With TGB support for the infrastructure Aranya reinvests it's surpluses in its pursuits of excellence besides rewarding all the associates.