RAS question
Dabu printing technique involves:
Correct answer: (D) Mud-resist block printing.
Dabu printing is a mud-resist block printing technique in which a clay-and-gum paste is applied to fabric before dyeing so that selected areas resist the dye and form the pattern.
Explanation
Dabu printing is identified with Bagru near Jaipur, which the Rajasthan textile-design source describes as known for mud-resist block prints. In this technique, the fabric is prepared and printed with blocks, then covered with a resisting paste called dabu, made from clay and gum. After drying, the fabric is dyed, usually with vegetable dye in the source description. The key idea is resist: the mud paste blocks dye penetration wherever it has been applied. When the fabric is washed after dyeing, the paste comes off and reveals lighter printed motifs against the dyed base colour. That is why the option 'mud-resist block printing' captures both the material used and the method.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Digital printing is wrong because Dabu uses manual block printing and a physical mud-resist paste, not a digital print process.
- (B) Embroidery is wrong because Dabu creates patterns through resist dyeing and block-applied paste, not stitched decoration on fabric.
- (C) Screen printing is wrong because the cited Bagru process uses wooden blocks and dabu paste rather than screens to form the design.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's traditional textile crafts, especially the link between craft technique and production centre. RAS repeatedly asks such culture questions because they connect local art forms with places such as Bagru and their distinctive processes.