BLUE GOLD

One of the most revered commodities ever since the Graeco-Roman empires and the time of Vasco da Gama, indigo is known for its healing and regenerative properties. Today, designers are combining the blue dye with shibori and bandhini, among other techniques, to continue its legacy in the modern world .

- Priya Kumari Rana

Indigo—meaning ‘from India’ in Greek—is the oldest colour ever invented, around 5,000 years ago, finding mention in the Vedas as well. The first indigo pigments, history tell us, were imported from India to the Graeco-Roman empires. It was also used in ancient Egypt, worn by mummified pharaohs; in China, ‘blue plants’ or lan cao were the rage during the Qin and Han dynasties. The Arabs christened it an-nil, and in Sanskrit, it was referred to as Nila or blue.

Traded from India by the colonisers, indigo was used in the courts of Europe (‘royal blue’) and also became an instrument of revolt, as farmers in Bengal rose against the British in the 19th century, a precursor to India’s Independence movement.

Indigo went on to become commercialised (and made synthetic) to create mass-produced denim or blue jeans, and the term ‘blue-collar worker’. came into being. “The introduction of synthetic dye in the 19th century led to a decline in the commercial demand for natural indigo,” says Anuradha Singh, Head, Nila House, a Jaipur-based non-profit and CSR that’s part of the Bamford Foundation (founded in 2016 by Lady Carole Bamford, wife of Sir Anthony Bamford of manufacturing company JCB). “The chemical dyes affected rural artisan clusters, polluting the surrounding soil and water, while natural indigo is the most environment-friendly and gives value to textile production.