Alleviation: An International Journal of Nutrition, Gender & Social Development, ISSN 2348-9340
Volume 2, Number 2 (2015) : 1-7
©Arya PG College, Panipat & Business Press India Publication, Delhi
www.aryapgcollege.com, www.apcjournals.com

Revival of Batik with Natural Dyes from Selected Plant Wastes

1. Megha Bakshi & 2. Chhaya Verma
1. Assistant Professor, UIFT, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
2. Assistant Professor, Government Home Science College, Chandigarh, India
E-mails: 1. mysteriousme05@gmail.com
2. chhaya_chandu@yahoo.com

Abstract

Let us go green to get our globe clean. Environmental awareness is not a trend that comes into style a few months and stops. There are many ways to take small steps in changing the living habits while making big strides in helping the environment. These days, of course, one can pop into a store and buy an entire rainbow of dyed fabric,but it’s actually great fun to dye fabric the old-fashioned way. Not only does it give a new appreciation for Mother Nature, it is also a free and fun way to get crafty and explore our creative side.
Due to the growing inquisitiveness, world over, regarding the possible potential toxicity risks associated with some synthetic dyes or their intermediates, the use and production of some synthetic dyes have either been completely banned or severely restricted. On the other hand, the interest towards natural dyes is once again being re-evaluated as it is felt that their basic bottleneck with regard to the lack of fastness could be satisfactorily improved through the use of suitable mordants. Dyeing fabric is not just putting color onto a surface in the way a painter might, but rather a matter of color penetrating the structure of a fabric. In relation to Batik, the way the color and form interacts through the sequence of waxing and dyeing, seems just magical. By striking a balance between techniques and design and nature of the medium and the source of dye, very creative effects can be created.
Thus the dying art of Batik has been tried to recreate in the present study using plant waste materials such as used marigold flowers, onion skin and pomegranate rind for extraction of natural dyes and making it suitable for batik by optimizing the parameters for mordanting and dyeing. Various color combinations were tried using different eco-friendly mordants, mordant concentration and mordanting techniques. Color fastness tests showed very good results. Stoles were created using natural dyes and batik. These stoles showed overwhelming consumer acceptance and marketability.

Keywords: Batik, Natural Dyes, Eco-Friendly Mordants, Plant Wastes.