Summer has set in, and there’s nothing more important than wearing comfortable cotton clothes. That’s where Kalamkari prints, Chennai’s all-time favourite, come in!.
CE learns more about the labour-intensive art which finds it’s roots in Iran. You can shop a wide range of Kalamkari products at the bi-annual exhibit in CP Art Centre
CHENNAI: Life under the Mughals was good for artisans in the country, weavers in particular. Many families took to the loom, while others sat down to draw intricate designs with just a quill onto these exquisite hand woven fabrics. Tracing its roots to Iran, this Kalamkari technique — work with a pen, soon became a mainstay in the Andhra region under the patronage of the Golconda Sultanate with Machilipattinam, Pedana, and several other places becoming the hubs for these intricately made textiles. With motifs ranging from story depictions from religious texts, which continue to remain popular today, from architecture to nature-inspired designs, the style made its way to everything from saris to carpets, tents and other decor essentials.
While a worrying slump, thanks to its labour-intensive nature and dip in quality, brought permanent creases to the foreheads of many, designers like Gaurang Shah and Bina Rao have worked systematically to infuse a once dying art into their design palette, thereby staging a remarkable revival. Dastkar Andhra Marketing Association (DAMA), an NGO in Andhra
and Telengana, has been doing its bit in supporting artisans in the states and bridging the gap between weavers and artisans and the market.
As part of their biannual exhibit on now at CP Art Centre, the organisation has sourced out a range of khadi and cotton garments with Kalamkari from close to 400 weavers from the two states with garments including saris, yardage, stoles and dupattas among others. “Local markets are not very remunerative. So we act as the catalyst bringing the products made into the urban markets and selling it on the behalf of the weavers,” explains Latha Tummuru, design and marketing head, DAMA.
In most cases, weavers own the loom and work from home. The process of making a single garment involves close to 9 steps and close to a month to complete. Pedana is particularly known for its hand block printing. Artisans use vegetable dyes to extract earthy colours to draw patterns — ranging from themed stories to abstract illustrations. “It’s difficult to identify individuals and work with them when you’re looking at something like this. So we function through close to 20 handloom weaver cooperatives across 7 districts in the two states,” says Latha.
She explains that the NGO steps in to contemporise the product in design and value addition. “People want more colour and more silhouettes. Most of the weavers only do saris and the section that patronises that garment are not as large as they’d want it to be. Plus, today people want other styles out of the same fabric,” she adds.
While the exhibit will house articles made of natural and chemical dyes, every colour and material used is eco-friendly. “Handloom is the most eco-friendly way of producing garments. Primarily because it doesn’t use electricity and there’s no carbon footprint and the loom costs about `20,000and generates an income of about `10,000 to the weaver. It isn’t capital intensive,” Latha further explains.
While national markets are easily lured, it’s not the case in foreign markets. “Their palette is more plain and less on the printed side. We see Versace and Gucci going all out with prints but everyone else mixes plain and print with a slight leaning towards the former. So we can’t really expect something like Kalamkari to sell in such a market,” adds Latha.
If you compare the Kalamkari sarees your grandmother bought perhaps two decades ago and the ones in the market now, colour-draining fabric and lack of durability are evident within the first couple of uses. “When you become part of the industry rat race, quality is often the first casualty. In this case, quality deterioration also has a lot to do with customer demands. Everyone wants things cheaper. But the moment you’re squeezed for the price, you will have to compensate elsewhere to keep the business afloat,”she rues.
While the design is done on other fabric like silk as well, Latha prefers cotton and khadi, because of price and climate adaptability. She goes on to point out that with khadi, the colours appear brighter because the yarn takes the colour very well and the drape is better. The exhibit heads to New Delhi next month after its stint in the city.
Garments from `150 onwards.
Exhibition and sale from 10.30 am to 8 pm today For details: 24341778