Gujarat has witnessed several natural calamities in the history which became the reason of migration of its local community to the other parts. The residents of Gujarat kept their artwork as their heritage. The evolvement of V.G.S at that time was to promote the Kutch artwork, provide employment and stop the migration of the local community.
Shri Vivekanand Gramodyog Society (V.G.S) came into being in 1988 as a registered society. They encouraged Kutch artwork, empowered women, provided training, helped in self-production, market support, and conducted awareness programmes to help them overcome the calamity.
The batik art form has been in existence for a long time in history. It was being practiced during the Nara period in India.
The technique includes washing a cloth followed with soaking and then is beaten with a large mallet. The patterns are drawn with pencil and later re-drawn with hot wax prepared with the mixture of paraffin or beeswax, sometimes in collaboration with plant resins, which functions as a dye-resist. Different tools can be used to apply the mixture on the cloth like canting, a small copper reservoir with a spout on a wooden handle. Alternatively, a copper block stamp called a cap is used for larger patterns.
After the cloth dries, the resist is removed by boiling or scraping the cloth. The color turns into a beautiful pattern when the resist is removed the contrast between the dyed and undyed areas forms the pattern.