Tales of Prints Where India's Textile Traditions Come Alive
An immersive celebration of hand block printing, handcrafted textiles, artisan stories, music, dance, conversations, and conscious living.
11, 12 September 2026
Two days
Dhono Dhanyo Hall 4
Thackeray Rd, Alipore Police Line,
Alipore, Kolkata, 700027
11 AM – 8 PM
Last entry 30 minutes before close
Free
Workshops ticketed separately
Tell the Story
Instead of only listing events, explain why Chhaap Tilak exists.
Chhaap Tilak celebrates the timeless beauty of Indian hand block printing and handcrafted textiles. Bringing together master artisans, designers, collectors, performers, and craft enthusiasts, the festival creates a living space where tradition meets contemporary creativity. Every print carries a story, every motif reflects a culture, and every artisan preserves a legacy..
Craftsmanship here is not observed. It is handed to you.
Bengal, shown next to the traditions it is usually left out of
This edition places Bengal’s printers at the centre of the floor and sets the other traditions around them, so that technique, motif vocabulary and dye practice can be compared directly rather than described. Alongside the exhibition, we record printers explaining their own methods and lineages on camera. The recordings are transcribed, catalogued and published for open use.
Specimen catalogue
Ajrakh
Kachchh, Gujarat
Double-sided resist printing in indigo and madder, built up over sixteen or more stages of printing, dyeing and washing.
Sanganeri
Sanganer, Rajasthan
Fine floral repeats printed on a white ground, historically favoured for its delicacy of line and small-scale buti work.
Bagru
Bagru, Rajasthan
Earth-toned printing on cloth prepared with fuller’s earth and turmeric, using iron and alum mordants for black and red.
Dabu
Rajasthan
Mud-resist printing. A clay paste is printed onto the cloth to block the dye, then washed away to reveal the pattern beneath.
Bagh
Bagh, Madhya Pradesh
Vegetable-dye printing finished in the running water of the Baghini river, which is credited with the depth of its reds and blacks.
Kalamkari
Machilipatnam & Srikalahasti, Andhra Pradesh
Block-printed and pen-drawn narrative cloth worked in natural dyes, historically produced for temple hangings.
Bengal tradition
West Bengal — district to confirm
Curator to supply: the tradition, its district, its technique and the households still practising it.
Bengal tradition
West Bengal — district to confirm
Curator to supply: the tradition, its district, its technique and the households still practising it.
Register of makers
CT2 / A / 01
Artisan name
Craft · District, State
Two sentences from the curator on lineage, technique and what the artisan is bringing to the festival.
00 yrs in practice
CT2 / A / 02
Artisan name
Craft · District, State
Two sentences from the curator on lineage, technique and what the artisan is bringing to the festival.
00 yrs in practice
CT2 / A / 03
Artisan name
Craft · District, State
Two sentences from the curator on lineage, technique and what the artisan is bringing to the festival.
00 yrs in practice
CT2 / A / 04
Artisan name
Craft · District, State
Two sentences from the curator on lineage, technique and what the artisan is bringing to the festival.
00 yrs in practice
CT2 / A / 05
Artisan name
Craft · District, State
Two sentences from the curator on lineage, technique and what the artisan is bringing to the festival.
00 yrs in practice
Two days
Add date
10.00 Exhibition opens
Free entry, no booking required
Main hall
11.30 Opening ceremony
With the founders and the curator
Main hall
13.00 Live printing demonstration
A full repeat worked across a length of cloth
Demonstration floor
16.00 Curator’s textile walk
45 minutes, limited numbers, sign up on the day
Meet at entrance
20.00 Evening performance
Folk music of Bengal
Courtyard
Add date
10.00 Exhibition and marketplace open
Main hall
11.00 Block carving workshop
Ticketed · 10 places
Workshop room
14.00 Natural dye demonstration
Indigo vat, madder and iron mordants
Demonstration floor
16.30 Panel: keeping a block print tradition working
Artisans, designers and researchers in conversation
Talks room
Taught by the artisans exhibiting
Block printing: first impressions
Duration
90 minutes
Level
No experience needed
Places
16
Ages
10 and above
Included
Cotton cloth, dyes, use of blocks
Fee
Free
Carving a block
Duration
3 hours
Level
Some experience helpful
Places
10
Ages
16 and above
Included
Sheesham block, tools, your finished block
Fee
Free
Natural dyes and the indigo vat
Duration
2 hours
Level
Open to all
Places
12
Ages
14 and above
Included
Dye materials, one stole to take home
Fee
Free
First edition, 2025
Taal Connect
Sangeeta Dudhoria
Co-Founder, Taal Connect
Suman Sarawgi
Co-Founder, Taal Connect
Sonali Basu
Executive Trustee, Basu Foundation for the Arts
Mrinalini Mukherjee
Designer and Curator
With the support of
Dates and tickets, first
Getting there
Venue. Dhono Dhanyo Hall 4, Thackeray Rd, Alipore Police Line,
Alipore, Kolkata, 700027.
Nearest metro. Netaji Bhavan, Ashutosh Mukherjee Rd, Bhowanipore, Kolkata, West Bengal 700025
Parking: Available
Accessibility. Step-free entry throughout and accessible washrooms. Wheelchairs are available on request. Write to us in advance and we will arrange assistance.
Photography. Permitted throughout. Please ask an artisan before photographing them at work.
