Natural dyeing of yarn is the art of dyeing cotton and silk yarn using natural and locally available materials. It is something that has been practiced in India for centuries, using plants and insect products to impart bright colours to cloth. Natural dye has been proven to be better both for the environment as it uses non-harmful biodegradable materials as well as for human health as it is non-allergenic. However, since synthetic dyeing is a cheaper process, requires less time and effort and imparts brighter colours, more and more weavers chose synthetic dyes over natural ones.  Organizations like Charaka Women’s Cooperative operating from Sagara and Khana Weaves operating from Guledgudda are fighting to keep the art of natural dyeing alive.

Charaka, started by the famous theatre artist Prasanna, aims towards creating organic, naturally dyed handloom products that are affordable for the general public. For this reason, they use locally available materials like pomegranate peels as their raw materials and also have developed a method for recycling the wastewater from the dyeing process and using it for irrigation.

The founder of Khana Weaves, Ramesh, looks towards using the by-products of agriculture and food processing industries as raw materials used for natural dyeing. He acquires onion peels from farmers to dye his thread red.

This photo essay gives us a glimpse of the natural dyeing process taking place at Shramajeevi ashrama of Charaka at Sagara and Khana Weaves at Guledgudda to show how these organizations work towards making natural dyeing viable for the market.

Alaka S is an engineer with experience in the corporate sector. She moved into the social sector and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Development at Azim Premji University, Bangalore.

 Jhelum Mukherjee is a former graduate of English Literature and began her career in the Social Sector as a Government school teacher. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Development at Azim Premji University, Bangalore.  She is interested in stories and their potential to change peoples’ lives for the better.