Kalamkari

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Not a day goes by that I don't spot at least one person wearing a kalamkari printed outfit. Kalamkari is a traditional art involving hand painting or block printing of textiles.
Produced in Andhra Pradesh, it serves as the main source of income for many families. The word kalamkari is made of two words: kalam meaning pen and kari meaning work. Thus, the painting is traditionally done with a tamarind pen, using natural dyes.
Shading is done using a very few colours. This art form involves more than 20 steps of dyeing, washing, bleaching, etc. Kalamkari paintings are very fine and intricately detailed. The paintings done range from glorious scenes from epics like Ramayana and Mahabharatha, and beautiful sceneries, to animals and birds.

This art form has been prevalent in two areas: Machilipatnam in the Krishna district and Srikalahasti in the Chithoor district.Machilipatnam paintings are done by using a sharp pen to create colourful paintings of nature with ornate details.
Srikalahasti paintings are mostly religious and are inspired by epics and folklore. They are done using both sharp and blunt pens.
Today, kalamkari has become a major part of the trend. From cell phone cases and wall hangings,a to clothing, kalamkari is everywhere.
-Nithyasri.S

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