Batik (meaning ‘wax painting’) is both a Javanese art form and a craft that originated in Indinesia, but is hugely popular in Santiniketan, with multi-coloured and abstract designed Batik saris being a huge hit with the fashion conscious

Selected areas of the piece of cloth are brushed over (in abstract patterns or to depict images) with hot wax, and the cloth is dyed; this process of waxing and dyeing is repeated, following which the wax is removed, thus creating elaborate and creative designs

The designs and patterns used in the clothes are generally handmade paintings and not thread weaving. It is the usage of colors that set Batik dyed clothes apart from other such arts, one of the outstanding features of Batik art where artists get the freedom to show their talent and creativity.

Contemporary batik, while owing much to the past, is markedly different from the more traditional and formal styles, as artists use etching, discharge dyeing, stencils, different tools for waxing and dyeing, wax recipes with different resist values and work with silk, cotton, wool, leather, paper or even wood and ceramics.

Batik dyeing was earlier used only in garments but with new technologies and tastes, this stylish art form has evolved into a regular on fashion ramps, and now even extends to exquisite murals, wall hangings, colourful paintings and ornate household upholstery.