THE KALAMKARI SAREE

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In the Indian ocean of vast wealth,
Amidst Coromandel's lush green fields of prosperity,
The white shimmers of local cotton,
In the salt of the river,
In the hands of dexterity and organic colors,
I glow with the adornments of season, flowers, tree, birds, water.. 


I am a quintessential part of the textile painting tradition of the Indian subcontinent. My lineage traces back to Mohenjo Daro and Harappa, when the first cloth was dyed and painted in neel-aal (indigo- madder).

With time, my artisans' superlative knowledge of color chemistry give me a quality of growth and enforcement, and I become the reflection of the essence of nature's life stream in my textures and colors. On the vastness of resist- dyed cottons and silks, beautiful line drawings create fluid narratives or nature imagery with a 'tamarind twig pen', and colors are filled with 'bamboo pens'. Sometimes, narratives find expression in block printing also. A large range of dyes then infuse me with hues of reds, maroons, blues and yellows. And when I bathe in the river that flows into the Bay of Bengal, all colors become an integral part of my fabric.

Well, some stories of my origin connect me to the murals of temples in South India. I did do my region and country proud and famous worldwide along with my spice friends, in the medieval times. The court of Vijayanagara developed Srikalahasti to cater to traditional temple traditions of the times and the Golconda kings patronized Masulipatnam to cater to Persian and European tastes, with whom they had very strong trade ties. Islamic motifs, and later, European motifs were very easily adapted through the block printing process.  

Well, people say that the kings of Golconda gave the present name to me where kalam essentially means the pen and kari means work, and my artisans came to be called 'qalamkar'. in the 16th and 17th centuries, I was also called the 'chintz' by Europeans, and became very popular with them- a European household item.

Well, times change! In the process of reinventing myself, I now adorn you and your homes with contemporary designs and ideas.

Look, I am a saree now! 
Let me now adorn you with the birds, the buds, the flowers, the bounty of nature, the prosperity of the 'Tree of Life', in the colors of the hibiscus- red, or turmeric- yellow confined in the realms of the brilliant blue or the fertility laden deep maroon! 

Comments

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  7. dhanuSeptember 9, 2021 at 12:40 AM

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