Since the Sindhi Topi and Ajrak is an essential part of Sindhi Culture, men use it as a turban, a cummerbund and wound it around the shoulders. Women use it as a dupatta and chaddar, as a shawl and sometimes as a makeshift swing for children.

Since the Sindhi Topi and Ajrak is an essential part of Sindhi Culture, men use it as a turban, a cummerbund and wound it around the shoulders. Women use it as a dupatta and chaddar, as a shawl and sometimes as a makeshift swing for children. The Ajrak is usually about 2.5-3 meters. It is patterned in intense jewel like colors. The dominant colors are rich crimson and a deep indigo. A little bit of white and black is also used to give definition to the geometric patterns.

Little History Of Sindhi Topi:

The Sindhi cap or Sindhi topi (Sindhi: سنڌي ٽوپي ‎, Urdu: سندھی ٹوپی‎) is a hat worn predominantly by Sindhi people of Sindh province – however, it has been also adopted by the Baloch people and Saraiki people. Together with ajrak, Sindhi Topi is regarded as an essential part of Sindhi culture and a symbol of Sindhi nationalism for hundreds of years.

The hat is circular/cylindrical except for a portion cut out in the front to expose the forehead. Intricate geometrical designs are embroidered on the hat, and very often small pieces of mirror are sewed into it also. In Sindhi culture, the Sindhi cap is often given as a gift or as a sign of respect, along with the ajrak. In December 2009, “Sindhi Cap Day” was celebrated in Pakistan’s Sindh province to celebrate the Sindhi cap, and Sindhi culture in general. In 2010, the day was renamed to Sindhi Cultural Day. Hand-woven Sindhi Topis are work of hard labour. Sindhi Topi is primarily produced in Tharparkar, Umerkot, Sanghar, Kandhkot, Larkana, Nawabshah and some other districts of the Sindh. (Wikipedia)

Little History Of Ajrak:

The history of the Ajrak can be traced from the times of the ancient civilizations of the Indus Valley. These civilizations have been thought to exist at around 2500 BC-1500 BC. A bust of the King Priest excavated at Moenjodaro shows a shawl draped around his shoulders. It is decorated with a trefoil pattern (like a three leafed clover) interspersed with small circles, the interiors of which are filled with a red pigment. The same trefoil pattern has been discovered in Mesopotamia. The trefoil is a symbol of three sun-disks fused together to represent the unity of the gods of the Sun, water and earth. It is thought that the trefoil pattern survives as the cloud pattern in the modern Ajrak.

The authentic Ajrak is printed on both sides by a method of printing called resist printing. The printing is done by hand with hand carved wooden blocks. Several different blocks are used to give the characteristic repeated patterning. Making the blocks is a considerable challenge since the pattern has to synchronize perfectly with the whole of the Ajrak as well as cover various areas against dye.