Tree Of Life

Kalamkari is the popular name for mordant-painted and dyed fabrics created by drawing motifs and patterns onto silk and cotton fabric using natural dyes and a bamboo pen (kalam). This technique of painting natural dyes onto fabric has been used in India for centuries and was particularly popular along the southeastern Coromandel Coast. The British used to call this fabric chintz, from the Sanskrit word chitta, meaning spotted or colored cloth.

 

Today, the temple town of Kalahasti in Andhra Pradesh, India, is most well known for producing hand-painted kalamkari. There are several individual artists and family workshops throughout Kalahasti that specialize in creating kalamkari wall hangings, garments, and accessories using local natural materials.    

 

DWARAKA (Development of Weavers and Rural Artisans for Knowledge and Action) is a social enterprise created in 1999 by activist and philanthropist Anita Reddy with the goal of supporting artists and impoverished communities in the southern Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. DWARAKA devotes much of its efforts to supporting kalamkari artists in the small villages surrounding the temple town of Kalahasti by creating new markets for kalamkari products. Youth education, women’s empowerment programs, and healthcare workshops are just a few of the many initiatives that DWARAKA pursues as part of their holistic approach to supporting kalamkari artists.