VIJAYAWADA: The Tourism Department has decided to install Kalamkari artwork at Tirupati Airport and three railway stations, but the move brings little joy to the artists of Pedana which is known for the craft as the task has been commissioned to a private agency that prints designs using chemical colours.
Local artists TNIE spoke to said the practice is not only unauthentic, but also deprives them of their daily bread.
The Tourism Department chose Srikalahasthi-based SNK Arts and Crafts through a tendering process to execute projects in Tirupati Airport and Mangalagiri, Anantapur and Dharmavaram Railway Stations. The agency will be paid `35 lakh for artwork at the airport and `20 lakh for Anantapur Railway Station.
SNK Arts and Crafts owner J Niranjan who belongs to a family of Kalamkari artisans said he will also be taking up beautification projects at Tirupati, Guntur and Guntakal railway stations. “I charge `1,500 to `3,500 per sq ft of painting. I work across the country and abroad. I have an upcoming project in Spain,” Niranjan said. His work, however, is not hand-crafted unlike local artisans who use eco-friendly vegetable colours.
Niranjan draws the design which is then screen-printed with chemical colours on canvas.
Kalamkari Artisans Welfare Association president Sajja Nageswara Rao told TNIE Kalamkari craftsmen get less than `400 a day and the number of practising artisans has gone down drastically due to the lack of government support through project allotments for the craft which takes time and patience.