DWARAKA- Development of Weavers And Rural Artisans in Kalamkari Art

Every place has a history behind it. DWARAKA, an organisation set exclusively for the Development of Weavers And Rural Artisans in Kalamkari Art, also has an interesting story to tell.

A couple of years ago, some artists and weavers, selling their products from door to door in the elite neighborhood of Sadashivnagar in Bangalore, accidentally met Anita Reddy, a social activist and a trustee of Ramamarpanam Trust. Reddy was deeply moved by their impoverished and oppressed status. She recognised the fact that the skills and talent of these craftsmen in Kalamkari art and weaving were being exploited by others due to the lack of a coordinated and organised effort in their villages. She therefore began to mobilise these craftsmen for collective action.

Setting up of a successful and sustainable outlet to market the products of these artisans whereby the surplus will positively go back to their benefit, was a great challenge and called for a lot of dedication.Thus began the DWARAKA venture and the entire effort was supported by Shri Dwarakanath Reddy, father of Anita Reddy. He set up the Ramanarpanam Trust, with his personal funds, as an offering to his Spiritual Master, Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi.

About the Kalamkari Art

The villages around Sri Kalahasthi are the only ones in the entire country where Kalamkari art is practiced as a form of hand painting. In the rest of the places like Machalipatnam, it is block printing. The process of hand painting is extremely elaborate, laborious and time consuming. The fabric used for the painting is first washed and treated with milk and nut powder. The water of the Swarnamukhi river is used to remove the powder residue from the cloth. The sketch on the cloth is then done with burnt and sharpened tamarind and bamboo twigs. Only natural vegetable dyes are used to bring out the most exquisite and intricate traditional designs on different fabrics, ranging from cotton to silk, tussar and crepe.

Items available in DWARAKA

The DWARAKA showroom is the only one of its kind, showcasing a variety of handicrafts, all hand painted with natural vegetable dyes by the Kalamkari artists. The range includes paintings on sarees in silk, crepes, tussars and ravishingly beautiful cool cottons for the summer. For those who wear Salwar Kameezes, there are a variety of elaborately painted dupattas with matching embroidered salwar kameezes in cottons, crepes, silks and tussars. There are mix and match Indian and Western casuals, formals and designer wear. Accessories like hand bags are also on display. For a home maker there are a wide range of artifacts and decorative items like beautiful mirrors, wall panels, magazine holders, cushion covers, table linens, place mats etc. There is an array of lovely lamps and lampshades too. The range of items is vast and with the price varying from Rs 50 to Rs 4500, there is something at DWARAKA to suit every budget.

The inspiration and the spirit behind DWARAKA is Mr. Dwaraknath Reddy, a spiritual seeker and a messiah of the poor and the down trodden. He now resides at Ramanashramam, Tiruvanamalai. He says, "Let us take our artless love and humbly offer it to those who will bless us by acceptance. And when the balance is struck, we shall know that there never was a giving -only a receiving".

Today, DWARAKA, is being dedicated not only to the empowerment of the weavers and artists and to revive the forgotten and dying Kalamkari art, but also to this great man.

Address:
DWARAKA
18/1 A, Bellary Road
Sadashivnagar
Bangalore-560080
Phone: 2334 0264.

Deepa

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