Tribute to AP freedom fighters in Kalamkari art

Kalamkari is an ancient style of hand painting done on cotton or silk fabric with a tamarind pen, using natural dyes.
A 750 metre-long Kalamkari art scroll created by I Sudheer of Srikalahasti for the R-Day | Express
A 750 metre-long Kalamkari art scroll created by I Sudheer of Srikalahasti for the R-Day | Express

VIJAYAWADA: A masterpiece of Kalamkari art with freedom fighters from Andhra Pradesh as a theme on a 750 metre-long scroll will be one of the scrolls reflecting the Indian history and art forms at Rajpath in New Delhi on the Republic Day.It was created by I Sudheer, a 34-year-old Kalamkari artist from Srikalahasti in Chittoor district.

Speaking to TNIE, Sudheer says it is a rare honour for him and his team. They have strived to make the masterpiece express the nuances of Kalamkari art and at the same time highlight 10 freedom fighters from Andhra Pradesh, who played a pivotal role in the struggle for Indian Independence.

They include Alluri Sitarama Raju, Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy, Pingali Venkaiah, Potti Sriramulu, Gottipati Brahmaiah, Acharya NG Ranga, Gouthu Latchanna, Kalluri Chandramouli, Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu and Kaneganti Hanumanthu.

In an open gallery at Rajpath, the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) will showcase gigantic scrolls, each over 750 metres long, painted by over 500 artists from across India. Sudheer and his team have the rare distinction of being part of that pan-India team.

Kalamkari is an ancient style of hand painting done on cotton or silk fabric with a tamarind pen, using natural dyes. ‘Kalamkari’ is derived from a Persian word ‘kalam’ means pen and ‘kari’ refers to craftsmanship. Kalamkari art involves 23 tedious steps of dyeing, bleaching, hand painting, block printing, starching, cleaning and more. Motifs drawn in Kalamkari art span from flowers, peacocks and paisleys to epic characters of Ramayana and Maha-bharata.

“We have adopted mixed media making Kalamkari a prominent background. The result is satisfactory. However, we will be more happy when it gets unveiled at Rajpath and appreciated by millions,” he said. A visual arts graduate from Kannada University in Hampi, Sudheer did his schooling in his hometown Srikalahasti, the birthplace of Kalamkari. “I learnt the basics from my guru and later improved my art by pursuing visual arts and other art forms,” said Sudheer, a technician turned artist.

Though he did an ITI course initially and worked in a few companies, his love for art, more so for Kalamkari, made him a true artist. Soon after being asked to be part of the Republic Day project, Sudheer formed a team with his wife Jamuna and friends M Devendra Kumar, V Sri Ganesh, Vasundhara, Balasubramanyam, Devdas and Raj Kumar. Though his team was given 10 days time to do the scroll highlighting Kalamkari, it completed it in four days.

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