In the sun-baked lanes of Madhapar, near Bhuj in Kutch, a small family workshop keeps alive one of India’s most unusual and delicate decorative arts: Rogan painting. At the heart of that effort is Ashish Kansara, an artisan who has spent decades learning, practicing, and teaching the slow, thread-like linework. This makes Rogan art instantly recognizable.
A life shaped by tradition- Ashish Kansara
Born in 1975, Ashish Kansara belongs to a family that has long practiced Rogan art. He learned the technique from elders in his community. He has worked to both preserve traditional motifs — trees of life, peacocks, gods, and mythic scenes — and to adapt the craft to new surfaces such as textiles, garments, and home décor. His work blends faithfulness to the old methods with a practical eye for contemporary uses and markets.
What makes Rogan painting special
Rogan painting is not brush-on-canvas work. The paint used in Rogan is a thick, oil-based paste made by reducing oils (traditionally castor or linseed) into a jelly. It is then mixed with natural pigments. Artisans form a long, viscous “thread” of this paint on a flat metal rod or stylus and then draw freehand. They stretch and lay the thread to compose intricate motifs directly on fabric. The result looks like raised embroidery made of color. It requires extraordinary control, timing, and muscle memory. The unique contributions of Ashish Kansara help to keep this rare art form thriving.
A craft with deep roots — and a fragile future
Scholars and practitioners frame Rogan as an ancient Indian craft with a long history in Kutch. It has seen a recent resurgence thanks to Kutch tourism, craft networks, and the work of a few dedicated families and teaching initiatives. Still, the number of practicing artists remains small. Moreover, the technique is fragile: paste-making, color preparation, and the physical skill to draw continuous lines take time to learn and sustain. Ashish Kansara’s efforts are as much about passing on technique as they are about producing finished art.
How Ashish Kansara works and teaches
Ashish Kansara’s studio is modest and hands-on. Demonstrations and short workshops are offered to visitors and students. He often paints commission pieces for temples, collectors, and exhibitions. His portfolio includes devotional pieces, tree-of-life compositions, and painted garments and accessories. Through demonstrations, social media posts, and recorded interviews, he reveals insights into the work of Ashish Kansara. He introduces outsiders to the slow rhythm of Rogan-making in Kutch.
Why his work matters
Beyond the visual appeal, Ashish Kansara’s practice preserves a body of technical knowledge. It includes how to prepare the paste to the right consistency, how to hold and control the stylus, and which natural pigments behave well with oil pastes. Additionally, it involves how motifs are composed in one continuous flow. That tacit knowledge is the sort of cultural capital that can disappear unless it’s actively transmitted, documented, and valued by buyers and cultural institutions. Ashish Kansara Rogan paintings therefore function as both art and archive.
Seeing, buying, and learning
If you’re interested in seeing Rogan made, many of Ashish Kansara’s demonstrations and some of his finished pieces are publicly documented online. Photos and recorded interviews are available, and he occasionally accepts visitors or students. For collectors, small wall pieces, scarves, Rogan art saree, and accessories are practical ways to bring Rogan into everyday use. Larger ceremonial or religious works are also made to order.
Closing note
The amazing work of Ashish Kansara is a reminder that living traditions survive when people do the slow work of making, teaching, and finding ways for the work to matter to new generations. Rogan art is visual, tactile, and astonishingly patient. In Madhapar, Kutch, Ashish and his family keep that patience in motion, line by line.
If you’d like, I can:
• turn this into a web-ready artist page (Rogan painting Wall pieces),
“how to visit / book a demonstration”