We were on a coastal road in Andhra Pradesh, driving from Vijaywada to the seaside town of Machilipatnam. As the roads narrowed and we neared our final destination, vibrant lengths of fabric drying on clearings and terraces began to appear. This signaled our arrival in the hub of Kalamkari country – a small town called Pedana. This little-known town along the coast of Andhra Pradesh is the sole center of block-printed Kalamkari in India. Our mission was to meet Durga Nageshwar Rao, an award-winning master artisan whose unit is the oldest continuously operating Kalamkari unit in India.
While you can shop for these handmade creations at Jaypore, an artisanal brand by ABFRL, Rao paints a somber picture at the outset. He declares that Kalamkari is a dying art: “There are no karigars (artisans). The younger generation is not interested in joining the craft. Pedana was earlier a handloom center – twenty years ago, we had eighteen thousand looms; now there are no more than four hundred.” As I steal a glance outside the window, I see another brightly block-printed fabric fluttering across the length of the two-storey building next door. The unit, I’m told, is making the most of the few sunny days between the monsoon; the minute it rains, production comes to a complete halt.
Kalamkari, which literally translates to ‘pen work,’ is a fabric born of the land. As Rao explains, ‘pen’ Kalamkari originated in Srikalahasti wherein motifs were outlined using pens, while the Pedana style of Kalamkari uses block prints to outline the designs. The fabric, in so many ways, mirrors the land and the culture from which it originates. For example, all of the dyes used in Pedana are 100% natural and made from locally sourced materials such as plant roots, leaves, and mineral salts like iron, tin, copper, and alum. These ingredients are straight off your grandmother’s kitchen shelf – like jaggery, pomegranate, and jaji leaves. These natural dyes make the fabric more durable and also ensure that the dyeing process is safe for the environment.
Interestingly, the final outcome also varies with the seasons and geography. The dye-stained fabrics seem strong-hued during the summer months when the sun is at its hottest. Similarly, washing the fabric in different rivers can alter the chemistry of the final product. Traditionally, the motifs captured the beauty of the region’s landscape, with an array of floral and faunal designs, prominently featuring the Tree of Life. However, to contemporize the craft, the prints have been re-imagined, as Rao has done with Jaypore for their latest collection featuring aquatic life, with motifs like corals, jellyfish, and waves.
Typically, once the designs are finalized and the block prints are created, it takes about 21 days to create the fabrics that go through 15 stages of washing, dyeing, printing, and drying. Earlier, this work was done on handloom cotton but today it’s primarily done on powerloom cotton. The printing can also be done on silk, but the final colors turn out subtle. Rao then guides us through the bustling unit, where the rhythmic hum of activity fills the air. Artisans are engrossed in various stages of Kalamkari creation: one deftly dips blocks into vibrant dyes, meticulously stamping out outlines, while others are creating colorful ‘buttis’ with practiced precision. The process requires a skilled hand to apply just the right amount of pressure with each block. Another set of workers is drying the fabrics under the sun while others are tying dried and ready fabric to bring back to the unit. It’s a delicate ecosystem, vital to the livelihood of the majority of Pedana’s residents.
Rao’s unit, which employs eighty artisans – equally split between men and women – represents a shrinking world of traditional craftsmanship. We’re standing in a center that once housed a thousand looms, belonging to Rao’s father. He looks back at those days with deep nostalgia: “This region was once a thriving handloom hub, but now it’s nearly vanished. At the same time, there’s renewed demand and awareness for Kalamkari, our production capacity struggles to keep up. The younger generation gravitates towards corporate jobs because it pays more.” Yet, despite these challenges, individuals like Rao power on. They persist not just in preserving the craft but also in sustaining the community that depends on it.
