April

Organic indigo blue dye is extracted from the leaves of the Indigo plant (depicted in the border of this artwork). It is believed to have originated in India, where it's been used for thousands of years. Indigo dye and textiles, which had a global market, were eagerly sought by early European traders to India. Known as 'blue gold', it was initially so valuable that, when prices were high, it was used to purchase slaves who were worth their own weight in indigo. The highest-quality indigo ('Bayana') was made in Agra (represented by the Taj Mahal, top left). But it was also known as 'Lahori' indigo, after the city of Lahore which was a main market for the dye.

The columnist and author, Majid Sheik, traces the origins of indigo dyed jeans to the French generals of Maharajah Ranjit Singh who exported the dye to France. He writes that this "coarse drill and twill constructed fabric was used by Punjabi soldiers in [Ranjit's army]". But indigo blue is also associated with the traditional attire of the Khalsa of community of warrior-saints established by 10th Sikh teacher, Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1699. According to Jagraj Singh in his book A Complete Guide to Sikhism, blue has special meaning for Sikhs signifying "a mind as broad as the sky with no place for prejudice".