Natural Dye

When the opportunity to take a week-long natural dye workshop came up at university, I of course decided to take part and learn from some of the best. I did call into question my decision though when one of the first items we were required to ‘find’ was a large heap of (pardon the French) cow shit. Apparently the enzymes clean the fabric so it is better prepared to absorb the natural colours, although I personally feel it also had something to do with a crazy Indian having a laugh with the foreigners. So, after allowing some French exchange girls to very kindly take this task on, we went to the local flower market, vegetable market and fabric shop to collect the rest of our shopping list of “anything and everything natural”. So we showed up to the dye studio on day 2 with bags of beetroot, carrots, red grapes, pomegranate…as well as red onion skins confusedly donated by a nice veg man, and a whole collection of red and orange discarded flowers (the locals watched in amusement as we climbed and gathered from behind the market, being cheapskate students).

Buying fabrics in India was like a dream come true for me, and what a shame that I had to spend the afternoon looking at different silks for class! Hundreds of colours, weights and thread counts stacked the shelves on rolls. I was like a kid in a candy shop. It therefore broke me a little to take my meter of beautiful Indian silk and leave it to soak in cow dung all day and night while I prepared the dyes.

Making the dyes felt a little like being back in home economics in school or playing at witches and mixing potions. I stained my hands yellow picking all the petals off of the flowers, and made a mess chopping up beetroot. Boiling the different ingredients in water (five times the weight of the vegetable) made the whole studio smell like a very peculiar kitchen, but it was exciting to see how the different colours appeared - with some quite surprising results! Our lecturer, being the intelligent yet odd man we came to know him to be, informed us to taste and smell each dye, insisting that there is a strong link between the senses and the colours produced. This should help us in future when trying to create a specific colour.

Day 3 was when the fun started with cutting the silk and cotton into small sample pieces and testing how the dyes coloured the fabrics. It was a crazy organised mess of boiling the dyes, wetting the fabrics, soaking them, rinsing and hanging out to dry (in the melting sun might I add). We had colours of purple from red grapes, green from pomegranate fruit, but a dark yellow-orange from the skin, and brown from red onion skin. At this point, we were instructed to take the pH of each dye which would help indicate which would work at which wouldn't – generally anything over 7 won’t colour.

I really enjoyed using the mordents most, we used three different; Alum, Copper and Ferrous. Using chemicals took the feel of being in potion class to a whole new level! These help the colour fastness and can create a very interesting range of colours from one dye as the fabrics change when placed in each; alum generally makes the colour much brighter while ferrous makes it much darker, even black or navy in some cases. It was exciting and eye opening to see just how many colours can be extracted and created from just one plant, and how much the earth has to offer.  I love the idea of being able to fully create my own environmentally friendly dyes and fabrics in the future.

A Weekend in Udaipur

This weekend was my first out of Ahmedabad, and my first attempt at travel in India. It is a relatively small city north of Ahmedabad in the district of Rajasthan with a population close to that of Edinburgh.  Aptly named “The City of Lakes”, it was a stunning change to my Indian base with its hills and several lakes.

The central part of the city was filled with tourists which was both welcome and irritating for shopping as shop keepers refused to lower any prices. The streets were very narrow, rickety, and steep and should really be one way, but of course they might already have been. The shops are some of the best I’ve been to with beautiful shoes, dresses and fabrics; Udaipur is particularly known for its miniature art works done by hand on silk, often of camels for love or elephants for good luck, and I was told by many people of the amazing but cheap handmade leather bags and books. We were dragged into an art school where we were given a demonstration of these miniature paintings being done and offered cups of chai.

A few differences I noticed between Udaipur and Ahmedabad were firstly the rickshaws are generally black and yellow instead of the green and yellow I’m used to, and in Udaipur they’re more often called tuk tuks. Also, everyone says ‘Namaste’ (meaning literally “I bow to you”, but also hello or goodbye etc.); something I’d hoped and expected to hear constantly in India.

Hotel

Going on a recommendation from other exchange students, and the read on Lonely Planet, we chose to spend our one night at the Palace View Guest House. It was a small house up a very narrow street and a painful amount of steps, but it was all we could have asked for being clean, safe and with a real working hot water shower (bearing in mind I have been using a bucket at home)!!! The woman running the guest house was very welcoming, even bringing me a cup of tea in the evening which made my night! Her husband was also very nice, a doctor who was just about to head up to Jaipur, but took the time to give us a map and tell us some of the best places to visit during our short stay. We had lovely Dutch neighbours who I met the first evening and then again in the morning on the hotel’s namesake – the roof terrace. This was the perfect place to sit, rest and take in the absolutely amazing views of the city, and the City Palace up on the hill. It was so incredibly warm, but with there being so many lakes, there was an actual cool breeze which was so welcome! The only downside was that the toilet was a hole in the ground, but to be fair there was toilet paper, and it was a very clean hole in the ground.

City Palace

City Palace is a huge Palace which was built over a period of 400 years. It has stunning views over the entire city being perched on top of a hill, as well as tiny glimpses of its lake views through elaborately carved windows. I had to pay extra to take my camera around which I found a little ridiculous being that it’s a tourist trap. It was like a maze, but thankfully there were signs leading you round everywhere, and when in doubt we followed a tour group. There was a combination of tiny staircases, big open gardens and courtyards, stained glass windows and beautiful tiles. All you could want from an Indian palace really.

Ropeway

The ropeway was the best way to see the entire city, lakes, hills and all. We chose to take the cable cart up to be at the top of the hill and at the viewing point in time to watch the sunset, before taking the steep steps all the way down again (no mean feat I assure you!). The views were absolutely incredible, the lake and City Palace to one side where the sun set behind the hills and the entire city to the other. We spent ages just standing, watching as the sun sank and the city lit up one light at a time. Going on Valentine’s Day, I was only missing a little company to complete my enjoyment of being at the top of the world.

Getting a tuk tuk back to the hotel was easier said than done though. We shared with an Indian couple, but were held up in copious amounts of traffic. With it being wedding season here, we waited as the groom on his decorated horse preceded by his entire family worked their way across the town. I didn't mind the wait one bit!

Craft Village

We chose to visit a small craft village outside of the city to get a feel of different areas of Udaipur. As this was quite far out, we found a tuk tuk driver who would take us there, wait and then drive back to the city, for 350rs (£4). He was very good to us, pointing out landmarks and telling us stories about the lakes. The village itself was small and quiet as we went on a Sunday. We chose to have a joint camel ride round for 100rs each and so met Raju the camel who was our tour guide. He was wobbly and couldn't go downhill well and went too fast uphill, but we loved him. As we rode round, there were several groups of men who played us some traditional music and sang which created a nice atmosphere. I also saw a gorgeous little girl attempting to walk round in what looked like men’s flip flops.

After our village trip, the tuk tuk driver took us down by the lakeside and kindly offered to wait while we took a short speedboat ride around the lake. Of course we jumped at the chance to see one of the lakes up close so donned our life jackets and sped away. The water was so cooling splashing us as the boat turned and gave us a stunning view of the hills, and I must admit I screamed a little!

Food

Because Rajasthan isn't a majorly vegetarian state unlike Gujarat, we had the option of trying slightly different Indian food (meat!). I found it a little spicier than I’d had already, but not too overpowering. It was mostly just incredibly flavoursome. We chose to start and end our journey at ‘The Whistling Teal’. It was more of a garden with lounge chairs and individual gazeebos that conveniently served food and drink than a restaurant which was perfect! We lay out on the sofas while we waited for our orders of mango shakes, palak paneer, chicken curry, masala tea, butter naan… and of course everything was delicious. My favourite was when we chose an Indian version of tapas where we were served a tray of eight small dishes and naan to share as I never can choose what to order.

Another wonderful experience was to visit the Lotus Café where we spent an evening on the roof top sipping cold Indian Kingfisher beer and enjoying the lit up palace. I had another curry which was served with apple chunks on top, strange but also amazing. There we got chatting to a Scottish girl (seriously, they sniff me out), Jenny, who was here for the second time, choosing Udaipur over Jaipur after she fell in love with the small city the first time.

The Sleeper Bus

My first ever trip on an infamous sleeper bus was this weekend from Udaipur to Ahmedabad, and was horrifically flawed from the outset. Booking any long distance bus is relatively easy (by Indian standards) to do online, but of course that only applies if you have an Indian bank card.  So, we cleverly went along to the travel agency and happily booked our two buses, one normal seated for Saturday morning and a Volvo (big oooh) A/C sleeper leaving at 6:55pm on Sunday night. But then, when we showed up to check in Sunday night in Udaipur, we were abruptly told “AM not PM” and that we’d missed it. Our travel man had messed up and left us stranded in Udaipur with little money and no place to stay or travel home. I luckily had taken my bank card and could get some money out to pay for a new bus that night, of course the next one not leaving until 10:30pm. We outstayed our welcome in an ice-cream café for three and a half hours with nothing else to do until 10pm when we were to return to the shop and be told where our bus was. To understand how India complicates things again, there are no bus stations or designated stops (at least not for long distance), and so they line up in no particular order along a few streets. I started to worry when no one told us what was going on by quarter past, and so a man looked at the tickets and walked away from us waving his arm to follow. He kindly found us our bus, although my panic was unnecessary because of course it left half an hour late.

Our new sleeper bus was half the price, but with no A/C, and I’d imagine double the smell. I was strangely excited, not quite knowing what to expect. The bus was essentially double decker – one main isle with cabins along each wall, some double and some single, almost replicating bunk beds with one above and one below. We found our double cabin and swung our bags up before manoeuvring the narrow ladder. It was shockingly comfortable and quite roomy. There was certainly enough space for two people to lie down, with built in pillows and a closable door. The slightly unpleasant smell of stale sweat and feet wasn’t too much of an issue for me as I lay down (using my scarf as a pillow) and was out of it almost before the bus began moving.

Moving was a whole other experience. It was a little bumpy and I often rolled into the wall, but the most painful was the bus horn. Because this is the most important feature a vehicle can have, buses have lovely musical horns that of course they aren’t afraid to show off. The whole journey was oddly enjoyable and I did at one point actually clap for India, despite the maaaany issues.

Then of course you have to figure out getting off the bus in the correct place, with no bus stops or a general idea of where you are meant to be going - we were told there would be no stop in Paldi which is where we live and so had to carry on to the last stop. This would have been fair enough if I hadn’t woken every 15 minutes when the bus chose to stop when we reached town (after SEVEN hours – three more than the journey there). And of course, I watched in misery as the bus did drive past uni and my flat but we hadn’t a clue what to do but watch and beg them to stop as soon as possible.

But! We did it, and now travel anywhere is possible! Plus I kind of love the sleeper bus a little…

A Visit to an Indian Cinema

Everyone here being utterly obsessed with Benedict Cumberbatch, we had to go to the cinema to see The Imitation Game. We chose a cinema in a mall not too far away from university, and after the rickshaw drove away without our money – giving us a free trip, we went up ridiculous amounts of escalators to finally reach the box office. I was pleasantly surprised that a ticket only cost 120rs (less than £1.50), and that popcorn was more expensive at 160rs! We received our tickets, making sure we had chosen an English showing and not Hindi, and then had to join a queue to step through the metal detector and be frisked and searched. Much like in Mumbai airport, there were separate stations for men and women.  Men step through and if they beep they are briefly frisked before being hurried along, and so they all went about their business quickly and on to their seats. For women, however, it was rather different. Every woman is searched whether beeping or not in the metal detector, and our bags were also searched meaning cameras, cigarettes etc. all had to be checked in.

Once finally getting through, I went to the loo before buying my popcorn and was pathetically excited to see real toilets with actual toilet paper (this not being considered a necessity in many places I’ve visited, and so I carry spare with me wherever I go)!

The film itself was really amazing and enjoyable. The adverts beforehand were short, and mostly in Hindi, with some in English being accidentally played twice in a row. The seats had so much legroom and all reclined so the whole experience was really enjoyable. Halfway through a sentence, never mind a scene though, the film cut out and it was announced we were having a break. It was like a friend pausing a film because they needed to take a call or go to the toilet. It started again very abruptly and had rewound a little.

A man in front of me had clearly ordered some food in the break as an attendant came in with his torch and not so quietly discussed money. Several phone calls were taken throughout, and interestingly whenever any character in the movie smoked, a ‘smoking kills’ warning appeared at the top of the screen.

We exited the screen through a different door and so it was a little mission afterwards to find the ‘cloakroom’ to get my camera back. Overall a strange but not bad evening out!

Sarkhej Roza

My first day trip in the city of Ahmedabad where I’m living was to a Muslim Mosque called Sarkhej Roza. It was absolutely stunning, but a slightly surreal and strange experience for me. After a 15 minute rickshaw ride, we arrived outside a slightly shabby looking path leading up to the entrance, which was lined with begging men and women. There were a few street-food stalls outside, and because the majority of women wear saris it was an incredibly colourful place. Because of religious customs, we had to remove our shoes before entering and wear scarves over our heads (being a little unprepared, a flatmate fashioned a kimono into an amusingly elaborate headdress). The design of the mosque with its different buildings is very clever, meaning that because of the positioning of a tree and monument you naturally walk to the left and continue round in a circle before reaching the most important building on the far right. The first building, like most, is made from a series of carved stone domes and pillars with beautiful intricate blocks making up the walls. These let light in while not allowing anyone outside to see in giving privacy, and keeping the rooms cool. We were quizzed by a group of adorable young girls as to where we were from, and I had no option but to shake hands with them all before they ran away giggling. Throughout the entire trip we were stared at, being the only white people there.

Walking amongst the tombs of queens, and seeing the stunning views over the dried up man-made lake and amazing stone carvings was wonderful. Many people were sitting around with their families while others prayed inside.

After sitting down for a little break on the steps – this being my first weekend and a poor little Scottish girl, I was melting in the heat – we were bombarded. Initially a few children came over to ask where we were from and our names, but soon a small crowd grew around our perch and next thing  I knew I had a baby sitting in my lap and several cameras in my face. When one started they all wanted photos and so we left in a hurry, collecting our shoes and grabbing a rickshaw outside. It is very surreal being the focus of so much attention, and although they were just curious I found it a little uncomfortable and claustrophobic with the heat and the amount of people. I have since learnt to just forcefully say no and shake my head, although sometimes it is quite fun to be a source of fascination.  

National Institute of Design

University is so unbelievably beautiful, I feel more like I’m working in a tropical retreat than at a school. NIDs main gate in on a busy road that takes a little skill and a fair amount of bravery to cross every day - I can’t decide if it’s the constant honking and dust, or the speeding scooters and rickshaws combined with slow moving cows and elephants that is the worst. Although stepping onto campus, literally the second I step through the gates, it’s a peaceful jungle where car beeping and the pollution seem like a completely different world; birds and the occasional monkey are the only things to really hear or be wary of. The main building is majorly hidden by trees having grown up the walls, but with amazing bright orange spiral staircases protruding to lead up to different studios. It is very open air with few doors closing anyone inside, so university is open nearly all night and is filled with people day and night working or meeting up.

My favourite part of the campus though would have to be the park. Just beside the main building is a grassy field walled by more trees and flowers, helping the feeling of paradise while I take a break. At one end is the old monument/temple which is beautiful. Monkeys are really the only things to disturb while they run across the ground between trees, although Frisbee games or badminton matches are often played by students.

Classes are very relaxed compared to my Scottish studies. My textile course is currently a six-week print design creative project and so it is expected that I am in the studio every day from about 9:30am. But it is never mentioned or even frowned upon if anyone is late. Somehow despite the Indian laid-back attitude, my classmates all seem very dedicated and it is rare that anyone leaves before 6:30pm. We set our own breaks and work to our own pace, wondering off to make dye or print samples whenever we are ready. It is also quite common place to find a dog napping in a corridor, something that was a little strange for me to begin with.

BMW is the NID café where the chai tea is amazing, and because I don’t understand the menu, it’s always a surprise when my order is ready. Although the state of Gujarat is generally not considered as having spicy food, I do sometimes get a little fright when trying something new, but I have not yet eaten anything I didn’t like. Mess is another cafeteria at uni, where breakfast, lunch and dinner is served for 50rs (around 60p) for an all you can eat meal. The Indian students tell me this is very basic food, and isn't very good compared to home cooking, but for me the rice, sauces and naan are so delicious!