Kalamkari and Traditional Design Heritage of India

Tradition is not static, but ever growing and changing, assuming new forms with each passing generation. Just like a piece of rock, broken from the hillside, is weathered and shaped by the water of the mountain-river as it flows downhill, traditional art also gets shaped over centuries by the forces of an ever-changing culture. The inner core, however, remains the same. In the Kalamkari heritage of India, the inner core of the art is deeply traditional and mystic in nature. Whether hand-painted or block-printed, the traditional designs and motifs of the Kalamkari craft speak a language of their own, and it is by recognising this inner voice that the future of the art can be secured.

Shakuntala Ramani is the chairperson of the Craft Education and Research Centre of the Kalakshetra Foundation