KALAMKARI

KALAMKARI -The Unique Art

The Literal translation of the word kalamkari is Pen Craft. The intricate pictures are drawn with kalam or bamboo reed using natural dyes. The antiquity of natural dyed fabrics in India dates back to the pre-Christian era. The samples of these fabrics have been found in many excavations carried out at several parts of the world like Cairo, Greece, Central Asia and Arabia suggesting an overseas trade.
Percy Brown in Arts and Crafts of India- a descriptive study, New Delhi, 1903 mentions that Kalamkari during 18th century was practised all over the Coromandal cost stretching from Machalipatnam at the north to southern parts of India, especially in areas like kalahasti, Salem, Madura, Palakolu, Machalipatnam, Tanjore, Eleimbedu in Chengalpet, and in Cocanada districts.
The Natural dyestuffs used in this craft are inexpensive and freely available in many parts of our country. These decorated fabrics were either used as temple backcloths or as garments. The art of Kalamkari, which has been practised in several parts of India from early times is now confined to merely a few places. The craftsmen of Machalipatnam produce beautiful block printed materials like table linen, lungies, blankets etc. Tanjore Kalamkari craftsmen specialise in temple decorations like thumbais etc. Today, the chemical dyes have replaced the natural dyes in both the centres.
Unlike other centres of Kalamkari, the craftsmen of Srikalahasti still use the ancient techniques of dyeing, which they had inherited from the earliest days. The wall hangings drawn free hands are the most popular creations of the Craftsmen. Hindu mythology is the main source of themes. Some of the craftsmen in Srikalahasti also produce beautiful textile materials drawn free hand.
Bagru, Sanganer, Palampur and Faizabad are few centres in northern India where Kalamkari is practised.

SRIKALAHASTI KALAMKARI - ITS CHARACTERISTICS

Srikalahasti is a small temple town situated in the Chitoor district of Andhra Pradesh. (100 kms. from Chennai). It is one of the famous Centres of pilgrimage in South India. The history of the place dates back to the period of Kannappa - first of 63 Nayanmars.
The Srikalahastisvara temple built during middle-Chola period (circa 1000 AD.), rich in stone carvings and decorative motifs remains to be the source of inspiration for the craftsmen even today.
The climatic conditions, availability of dyestuffs and clean flowing water from the river Svarnamukhi makes Srikalahasti an ideal place for Kalamkari production. All India Handicrafts Board under president ship of late Dr. Kamala Devi Chattopadhyaya started the Kalamkari Training and Production Centre at Srikalahasti in the year 1957. Mr.Kora Ramamurthy, a Chennai based contemporary painter, who did pioneering work on revival of Kalamkari and other languishing crafts of Andhra Pradesh was selected as honorary secretary to this centre. Under his guidance, the centre produced many artists of quality and great skill.

Today there are 150 craftsmen practising this ancient craft. The mythology is the main source of themes. The panels are drawn from the Ramayana, Mahabharatha and from Bhagavata. Normally a big story panel is segmented into many smaller sections. The panel commences with the picture of an artist, seeking blessing from Lord Ganesha. A scene from the story is depicted in each section. The artist also narrates the events of the story by means of written Telugu passages below the picture. The language is usually formal.

KALAMKARI - AN INTRODUCTION

The Literal translation of the word kalamkari is Pen Craft. The intricate pictures are drawn with kalam or bamboo reed using natural dyes. The antiquity of natural dyed fabrics in India dates back to the pre-Christian era. The samples of these fabrics have been found in many excavations carried out at several parts of the world like Cairo, Greece, Central Asia and Arabia suggesting an overseas trade.
Percy Brown in Arts and Crafts of India- a descriptive study, New Delhi, 1903 mentions that Kalamkari during 18th century was practised all over the Coromandal cost stretching from Machalipatnam at the north to southern parts of India, especially in areas like kalahasti, Salem, Madura, Palakolu, Machalipatnam, Tanjore, Eleimbedu in Chengalpet, and in Cocanada districts.
The Natural dyestuffs used in this craft are inexpensive and freely available in many parts of our country. These decorated fabrics were either used as temple backcloths or as garments. The art of Kalamkari, which has been practised in several parts of India from early times is now confined to merely a few places. The craftsmen of Machalipatnam produce beautiful block printed materials like table linen, lungies, blankets etc. Tanjore Kalamkari craftsmen specialise in temple decorations like thumbais etc. Today, the chemical dyes have replaced the natural dyes in both the centres.
Unlike other centres of Kalamkari, the craftsmen of Srikalahasti still use the ancient techniques of dyeing, which they had inherited from the earliest days. The wall hangings drawn free hands are the most popular creations of the Craftsmen. Hindu mythology is the main source of themes. Some of the craftsmen in Srikalahasti also produce beautiful textile materials drawn free hand.
Bagru, Sanganer, Palampur and Faizabad are few centres in northern India where Kalamkari is practised.

SRIKALAHASTI KALAMKARI - ITS CHARACTERISTICS

Srikalahasti is a small temple town situated in the Chitoor district of Andhra Pradesh. (100 kms. from Chennai). It is one of the famous Centres of pilgrimage in South India. The history of the place dates back to the period of Kannappa - first of 63 Nayanmars.
The Srikalahastisvara temple built during middle-Chola period (circa 1000 AD.), rich in stone carvings and decorative motifs remains to be the source of inspiration for the craftsmen even today.
The climatic conditions, availability of dyestuffs and clean flowing water from the river Svarnamukhi makes Srikalahasti an ideal place for Kalamkari production. All India Handicrafts Board under president ship of late Dr. Kamala Devi Chattopadhyaya started the Kalamkari Training and Production Centre at Srikalahasti in the year 1957. Mr.Kora Ramamurthy, a Chennai based contemporary painter, who did pioneering work on revival of Kalamkari and other languishing crafts of Andhra Pradesh was selected as honorary secretary to this centre. Under his guidance, the centre produced many artists of quality and great skill.
Today there are 150 craftsmen practising this ancient craft. The mythology is the main source of themes. The panels are drawn from the Ramayana, Mahabharatha and from Bhagavata. Normally a big story panel is segmented into many smaller sections. The panel commences with the picture of an artist, seeking blessing from Lord Ganesha. A scene from the story is depicted in each section. The artist also narrates the events of the story by means of written Telugu passages below the picture. The language is usually formal.

Some important features of Srikalahasti Kalamkari traditions :

• Elaborate decorations on jewellery / costumes etc.
• Use of beaded line and use of heart shaped designs in borders.
• Simplification of colours, shading is eliminated
• Rounded faces, long and big eyes.
• The colours Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and Black are dominant.

Red colour is obtained from Indian madder, Yellow from myrobalan flower, Blue from Indigo plant and Black from Iron fillings and sugar molasses. In spite of many repercussions of the modern age, the skillful artists of Srikalahasti continue and maintain their own identity and workmanship. In addition to the traditional uses of kalamkari as ritual cloths in temples and textile material; the present day craftsmen added innovative designs like table clothes, letter holders, bags, purses, files, greeting cards, and dinner mats.

TECHNIQUE: PREPARATION OF CLOTH

Wash thick cotton cloth well, beat to remove starch. Do not use soap. The cloth is then boiled in water for sometime in order to remove other impurities.
Take finely grounded myrobalan nut powder. This is used here because of its high tannin content. Add finely grounded myrobalan- nut powder in to buffaloes milk. Stir up well until the solution appears pale yellow.

For Ten metres cotton cloth:

• Myrobalan ( Termalia chebula Retz ) - 150 grams.
• Buffaloes Milk - 2 litres.

The fat in buffaloes milk prevents dye from spreading on the cloth .For the best results avoid, boiled milk or standardized milk that is supplied in sachets. After soaking the cloth in the above solution for 5 minutes, wring it very tightly and dry in sunlight for 6 to 8 hours. Leave it under room temperature for one day. The treated fabric is ready for use.
This treatment helps the fabric to absorb the required metallic mordant, and also to develop a permanent black colour ,using ferrous mordant.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Use non- reactive vessels like plastic / enamel /glass or stainless steel for soaking.
The Tannin coated cloth should stored in a dry place, away from moisture and strong sunlight. Otherwise, spreading of dye and poor line quality would result .The maximum life of treated cloth is 40 days. (since Tannin on the fabric, becomes inert on passage of time)
Destarched Cotton ClothMyrobalan Coated Cloth

MAKING OF KALAM

This instrument is used to draw lines on the cloth. A bamboo reed is taken and a woollen rag is rolled over it. Latter it is entwined by a cotton thread. (See figure-1). The tip of this instrument should be thin and sharp. The skin of the bamboo is retained on one of the side, which gives the reed strength and longer life to the tip.
When this instrument is dipped in to the dye solution, the woolen ball absorbs the dye by capillary actions. The artist holds the loaded kalam in upright position gently presses the woolen ball and drags it on the cloth. The dye, which comes out of the woolen ball, passing through the bamboo point, reaches the cloth.
The kalams that have broad tips are used to draw thicker lines and also for filling flat areas on the cloth.

PREPARATION OF BLACK SOLUTION

(Known as Kassim in Srikalahasti parlance)
Soak the following in the closed earthern pot for fifteen days.
Cane Jaggery
300 grams.
Palm Jaggery
150 grams.
Iron Fillings
2 Kg.
Water
10 litres.
Mix palm and cane jaggeries powder together and allow it to dissolve in the water, after which iron fillings are dropped. The solution is stirred once in a few days and covered immediately. The fermentation takes place in a closed earthen pot. The reaction takes place between molasses and the iron fillings to form the resultant solution, the ferrous acetate.
This solution on contact with myrobalan coated cloth turns in to highly permanent black (Ferrous acetate reacting with Tannin). After 15 days filter all solid iron particles carefully and store it in a closed glass or plastic vessel.

DRAWING BLACK LINES

Draw preliminary lines with charcoal, usually made of burnt tamarind twigs. Dip the kalam in iron black solution. The woollen ball attached to the reed absorbs the dye. The artist then drags the kalam in upright position on the cloth, slightly squeezing the woolen ball. The dye on contact with the myrobalan treated cloth turns in to black. (Reaction of Fe. Acetate on Tannin)
The lines thus obtained are allowed to dry for about 1 minute, after which the excess dye is carefully removed by an absorbent cloth. (Thin cotton cloth--slightly wet) The artist takes extreme caution to prevent any accidental spillings of dye on the cloth. The Kalamkari black has an excellent colourfastness.
The tip of the bamboo pen has to be renewed whenever it becomes blunt. The thick padding is necessary underneath the cloth while using pen or kalam. After every use, wash kalam with plenty of water, squeezing woolen ball several times.

USEFUL INFORMATION

The same black dye might be used for block printing on myrobalan treated cloth; however, the dye has to be thickened by adding glue (Meypro gum / gum arabic) to the required consistency.
When an artist wishes to retain the drawing only in black and white, he must wash the drawing in enough water and allow it to boil in water for about 2 minutes.

MORDANTING TO OBTAIN RED COLOUR

Red colour is obtained by mordanting the cloth with alum and then dyeing with dyestuffs rich in naturally occurring alizarin.Mordant colours are those colouring matters, which while possessing no colouring power in them are yet capable of combining with metallic basses to form insoluble precipitates on the cloth.
The Alum is powdered and allowed to dissolve in the water in following proportions (in plastic / glass vessel)
Water
1 litre.
Alum
100 grams.
The artists sometimes test the concentration by means of tasting a drop of alum solution. It should taste very sharp and caustic.
Wherever Red colour is required the above solution is brushed on cloth by means of kalam. The solution thus applied is allowed to dry on the cloth completely till the alum crystals reappear. Allow the cloth to dry under shade for 2 days.
To remove unfixed mordant attached to the cloth, the cloth should be washed in running waters. While washing, care should be taken to prevent the unfixed alum which is flowing away from the cloth does not touch other areas (i.e. unmordanted areas). Keep it in flowing waters for 5 minutes. Rinse and dry the cloth.
The shevelli (Rubia cordifolia Linn) and surul (Ventilago madraspatana Gaerth) are mixed in sufficient amount of water and allowed to boil. The cloth is immersed in this dye solution. It is stirred for sometime. When all the mordanted areas become Red, the artist removes the cloth. It is then washed thoroughly. The dying vessel must be non-reactive as it will not interfere with dyeing.
For 10 meters of cloth:
Surul Bark ( Ventilago Madraspatana Gaerth )
100 grams.
Shevelli Root ( Rubia Cordifolia Linn )
150 grams
Water
20 litres.

On leaving the dye- bath the whole surface of the cloth gets more or less stained with the colour Red, but this colour on unmordanted areas can be removed by bleaching thus leaving a coloured design on white background.

TO OBTAIN VARIATIONS OF RED COLOUR:

By adding little bit of Iron black solution in the mordant, darker shades of red like maroon, chocolates are obtained.
By altering the proportions of the dye stuffs employed in dye bath. i.e. more parts of surul in the dye bath will cause darker shades of Red & Maroon.
By varying alum concentration (i.e. light Red appears where alum is applied once whereas bright Reds appear in those areas where alum is applied twice or thrice.) * Note: Surul/Shevelli are native names (telugu)

BLEACHING

The cloth is soaked in sheep's dung solution and squeezed a little and kept wet over night.
In presence of strong sunlight, the cloth is kept on a moist riverbed. The water is sprinkled continuously. This process goes on for weeks until that cloth is fully bleached. The Red and Black portions will retain the colour while the rest is bleached white.

YELLOW

The cloth is again soaked in buffalo's milk, squeezed tightly and dried. This will prevent spreading of colours (i.e.. yellow, blue, and green) after dipping the cloth in the milk, the cloth is dried in sunlight for 1 day. It is then allowed to dry under shade for another day. It is now ready for colouring.

Myrobalan Flower Powder
100 grams.
Water
1500 ml.
Alum
2 teaspoons full.
The myrobalan flowers (Termalia chebula Retz) are grounded into fine powder. It is poured into water and boiled till the volume is halved. It is then cooled and filtered. Later, it is applied on the cloth using the bamboo reed or kalam.

BLUE

Indigo is the blue matter extracted from the plant Indigoferra Tinctoria. It is insoluble in water. This is dissolved only in alkaline solution. The artist puts a certain amount of indigo in large earthen pot full of water adding proportionate quantities of lime, fuller's earth and tagara seeds. It i s then mixed with a stick and left for one week. This is applied on the cloth, using a separate pen.
Synthetic blue method : owing to the non availability of natural indigo, the craftsmen often use laundry blue crystals (ultramarine) for colouring blue areas. These crystals are dissolved in water and later applied on the cloth.

GREENS

Blue colour is painted over the yellow areas to get Green. The cloth is finally washed in the flowing river water.