Mukaish Badla is a form of embroidery, which flourished in the Indian city of Lucknow. At its peak in the 18th century, the art form travelled to different parts of the world, but is now restricted to a few narrow lanes of the old city of Lucknow.
The art was originally introduced by the Nawabs, who ruled the city, to beautify another form of embroidery called chickankari – which still persists in the Indian subcontinent. Mukaish, however, ended up becoming an independent style and flourished across the city in the past.
This form of embroidery was first developed for the ruling class that resided in the city as part of their finery, since Mukaish work initially used precious metals like gold and silver to make metallic wires.
The artisans who perform this art were at the time referred to as Badlas. They perform this craft by inserting metallic wires of gold and silver into the fabric, eventually twisting it to create magnificent metallic embroidery on the fabric.
The story through these photographs is the tale of these artisans – their downfall, struggle, and survival.
The artisans, who devote their lives to this art form make a meagre Rs 150-200 per day for concentrating and working under extremely harsh conditions for 10 hours everyday.
The city once had more than 3,000 Badlas, but now the number has come down to just 20-25 – all of them aged above 65.
Badlas complain about the apathy of the government, which leads to further exploitation by their masters, who own the means of production and hence their lives, says 75-year-old Sabir Hussain, who has been working as a Badla for almost 65 years. The warehouses they work in are dingy, suffocating and tiny.
Lucknow’s culture has always compelled me to dig into the roots of its rich civilisation, which has always been a centre for arts and literature in the diverse landscape of India. The Gomti river, which flows through the city, always reminded me of the royal splendour of Lucknow.
As I grew closer to the city, I was introduced to the city's art and craft which became an integral part of my breath explaining why the city was highly praised for the textile culture. These art and crafts used to blossom and are still a part of each and every family of Lucknow.
Now only polished wires of gold and silver are used in this art which has played a major role in the downfall of this art. The art and the artisans might soon die a painful death amidst the frenzy driven by ‘development’ and ‘modernisation’.
These artisans are the real treasure of Indian art and craft as their work is unparalleled and authentic. The artists’ plight is something that I am trying to bring out through my photographs. Their population is dwindling and soon in not more than 20-25 years, they will become a part of history, which can only be recalled in a poignant daydream or a visual imagery.
My work ‘Swan Song of the Badlas’ revolves around the life of these Badlas and their families, who are struggling to keep the art alive.
This project was initiated under the aegis of the Neel Dongre Grant/Award for Excellence in Photography 2016-17 organised by the India Photo Archive Foundation under the supervision of Aditya Arya and Parthiv Shah.
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