Abdul belongs to Dhamadka village. He is of the 10th generation engaged with block printing. Rauf learned block printing at the age of 14. Beginning with printing, he now also knows block carving. Rauf received the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay award for promising young artisans in 1998. He participated in Lotus link, a workshop with Vietnamese artisans organized by Dastkari Haat Samiti in Delhi in 2004. He has also traveled to Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad for promotion and marketing of his products.

Rauf feels that his craft is based on natural laws. He strictly believes in vegetable dyes, which are non - polluting, and have scope for recycling. He also loves the traditional Ajrakh designs of his art. He believes that the search for cheaper markets is killing their original art, and is proud that his family is among the very few who still know their original art. Rauf’s dream is to work for the survival of the original art of Ajrakh for his entire life. “ In the first class, I said that designers copy. Copying is a part of design, and it must remain so. But there is so much more. One has to add something of himself, and make many aesthetic decisions.”