PRINTED SAREES

Kalamkari has its roots in South India in the state of Andhra Pradesh and dates back to at least 3000 years ago. Generations of craftsmen have spent their lives practicing and perfecting it and making this art what it is today. It is mainly done in Machilipatnam and Srikalahasti with the processes adopted in both the places being slightly different from one another. While wooden pens are used in Srikalahasti to create the outline of designs, hand-carved wooden blocks are used to print the outlines by Machilipatnam artisans. Breathtaking patterns of flowers, vines, trees, peacocks, parrots, etc are created on cotton and even silk fabrics by using natural dyes.

The word ‘Bandhani’, also known as Bandhej, is descended from the Sanskrit word ‘bandha’ meaning ‘to bind’, a craft predominantly practiced in Gujarat and Rajasthan. This tie-n-dye technique dates back to the 6th century and was traditionally used by the Khatri community in rural areas of Gujarat, India. At present, it has gained immense popularity in mainstream fashion. As per the historians, the first Bandhani saree was sported at the time of Banabhatt’s Harshacharita in a royal marriage. Bandhani is an ancient art. Earliest references to this technique of picking the cloth with fingernails and tying it before dyeing are found in Indus Valley Civilization records. Even the Buddhist paintings, in the famous Ajanta caves, have Bandhani testimonials. Texts dating back to the times of Alexander the Great, have also inscribed Indian Bandhani.

Looking back at my childhood days, I remember autumn festivity as the time when we got new clothes! The feeling of that rich, colorful, and stylish dress finally arriving and dressing up to participate in the Puja and celebrations will always be a special memory. In a way, times have not changed too much. Even today, we all wait for the festival time to arrive to do a little splurge, buy our favorite fashionable clothes, and flaunt them. Though there a number of fusion and Western attire available in the market, ethnic festive wear remains at the heart of festive fashion.

Amongst the Indian textile tradition, the simple cotton Kalamkari fabric had a greater impact and revolutionised the garment trade in the 18th and 19th centuries. The vibrant jewel-bright colours, printed and painted, caught the fancy of women in England and France and became the fashion for daily wear. Kalamkari fabrics, dubbed as chintz, by the English traders, formed a major part of the trade of the East India Company. Kalamkari is an ancient Indian art that originated about 3000 years ago. It derives its name from Kalam meaning Pen, and Kari meaning work, literally Pen-work. The Kalamkari artist uses a bamboo or date palm stick pointed at one end with a bundle of fine hair attached to this pointed end to serve as the brush or pen. These paintings were earlier drawn on cotton fabric only, but now we can see these paintings on silk and other materials as well. Centuries ago, folk singers and painters used to wander from one village to other, narrating stories of Hindu mythology to the village people. But with course of time, the process of telling tales transformed into canvas painting and that’s when Kalamkari art first saw the light of day. The Kalamkari art includes both, printing and painting.