In Sikalnayakanpet, Thiruppanandal in Tamil Nadu, a family continues to breathe life into ancient, almost 1000-year-old eco-friendly techniques, creating pieces that depict stories of deities and nature
At this home-run workshop spanning two floors, the walls whisper tales of ancient artistic brilliance. The first room on the ground floor is a display of finished and unfinished paintings. In this room, Karuppur Kalamkari paintings on cotton fabric are piled up against the wall, like a stack of colourful dreams. The air is filled with the smell of paint, and bamboo and echam sticks stand guard in a green basket, ready to dance across the canvas. This is the home of R Krishnamurthy, living craft treasure and state awardee, and his son K Lakshmi Narayan, Kalanithi and state awardee doctorate in kalamkari.
India is a land rich in ancient art forms, one of which is the timeless beauty of Kalamkari. This art form has been practised in India for over 5,000 years and there are three main styles: Srikalahasthi and Machilipatnam from Andhra Pradesh, and Karuppur from Tamil Nadu. Srikalahasthi features freehand sketches of Hindu mythological scenes. Machilipatnam is influenced by Islamic motifs and uses block printing techniques. What sets Tamil Nadu’s Karuppur Kalamkari apart is its exclusive use of natural vegetable dyes and hand painting, making it an eco-friendly and sustainable approach to art and fashion.