it is the bowls filled with indigo in different states seeds dried leaves cakes and powder that first catch your attention dried indigo smells faintly like kasuri methi then there are bowls filled with different kinds of the liquid indigo theres natural indigo synthetic indigo and indigo carmine the rich hues of blue tempt you enough to dip your finger in indigo is stubborn so the colour sticks on to your finger for the rest of the day but for sanjay lalbhai indigos impact goes beyond the blue tinge colouring his palms its impact on his life has been so indelible that he has dedicated an entire museum to it if it wasnt for indigo our mills would have shut shop like a thousand others after the arrival of powerlooms in ahmedabad says lalbhai chairman and md of arvind the choice to venture into denim in 1987 which in turn introduced him to indigo paid off dividends still does and so setting up the arvindindigo museum which will be the countrys single largest indigo artobjects repository seemed befitting but the museum as lalbhai says is a oneofakind initiative to expand the use of indigo beyond fabric and the first experiment for want of a better word was unveiled on wednesday housed at the kasturbhai lalbhai museum in ahmedabad viewers were introduced to alchemy an art exhibition it featured a range of artworks paintings installations sculptures weaves and furniture by indian and international artists the common factor binding them indigo i have been fascinated with indigo ever since i was a sevenyearold and learnt that you could make blue colour out of green leaves says malibased artist aboubaker fofana whose own journey with indigo has lasted 37 years for me indigo is not just colour for me it is an entire element in itself he says fbefore revealing that his arty experiments with indigo have seen him dye materials as different as wood leather and polymer i have even dyed feathers and a living animal in it he says known for his indigodyed installations fofana is showcasing three specially commissioned works of his for alchemy like india west africa has had a long tradition with indigo the technique of fermented indigo dyeing is indigenous while it has been long ignored fofana is in his own small way attempting to preserve and revive ancient dyeing techniques of his country i cultivate my own indigo he says of a project he has started in the district of sidby mali the aim of the project is to contribute to the rebirth of fermented indigo dyeing in mali and beyondi am indigo crazy all my clothes are indigo theres something magical about it once it captures your heart theres no turning back confesses ally matthan while her love for the dye has been long standing it was in 2017 when she travelled around the country to attend natural dyeing workshops that she got closely acquainted with its knowhow i visited five to six