CHENNAI: Kamala Craft Shop in Egmore wore a colourful look on Thursday as drapes from Karnataka adorned it. To revive and reinterpret the traditional weaves of Karnataka, Janhavi Kulkarni and Anuradha Mahadevan, co-founders of Kalenele, visited the city and interacted with the audience.
They took us through the intricate tales of Ikal, Khun, and Kasuti embroidery, which have a larger significance among Karnataka’s weaves. “When I travelled to different regions, I discovered that Karnataka’s crafts are among the least explored, which motivated me to start Kalenele,” says Janhavi, adding that in Kannada, ‘kale’ means art and ‘nele’ means to shelter.
The vibrant sale displays a collection of skillfully hand-loomed silk and cotton saris, dupattas, accessories, fabric, cushions, torans, and other wood crafts, reflecting Karnataka’s weaving tradition.
Narrating the exquisiteness of kasuti embroidery, Janhavi says that it was practiced in and around Dharwad and takes inspiration from the world around us. It uses four stitches — Gavanti, Murgi, Menthe, Negi — and carry religious, bird, flower, and animal motifs like ratha, ane ambari, gopura, aakash kandil, Ganesha mandapa, and tulsi katte. “Sometimes people have their interpretation of the designs. This idea of weaving stories via art has its impact on the current and coming generations, as it gives them a chance to learn about the past and its culture,” she says.
Artisans must be given the right platform to present the rich legacy of their region to the world, and Kalenele does just that. “There are countless talents in our nation; if given the right opportunity, they can bring out their artistic endeavours,” says Janhavi.
Kalenele runs a training session for weavers in Dharwad. They are trained to hone their skills and understand the nuances of the craft.
Through such initiatives, the vanishing art forms can be restored, sustainable employment can be created to benifit artisans monetarily, they believe. “What stands out is how they engage with each of their weavers and artisans through the journey of design and product development,” notes Anuradha. These weaves of Karnataka will be available at Kamala Craft Shop, Egmore till today.