For Ram & Laxman

In conversation with farmers, we reflected on indigo not only as dye, but as crop — a plant once embedded within agricultural economies. These exchanges opened a space to revisit indigo as a potential farming activity rooted in local history.

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I prepared an indigo ink paste using fermented Indian indigo combined with an organic binder and locally sourced gum. The ink was applied to the oxen’s horns as an exploration of plant-based marking in place of synthetic colour often used during festivals.

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Indigo has historically been associated with insect-deterrent qualities in agricultural contexts. The horn application explored whether plant-based material might offer a gentler alternative in environments where flies and insects gather around working animals.

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The gesture was not decorative. It became a reflection on how colour, cultivation, trade history, and animal labour intersect within the same landscape. Indigo, grown from soil and returned to it, traced a circular relationship between plant, farmer, and working animal.

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