India has a vibrant history of traditional textile crafts that are being practised widely even today. Besides being beautiful, what makes these crafts even more special is the fact that they uphold age-old traditions and techniques passed on over several generations, and keep the spirit of craftsmanship alive. Today we take a look at three such crafts that UPAYa uses widely across its collection, that we think are must-haves for every wardrobe!
1.Kalamkari
Kalamkari is an ancient art of hand painting or block printing on cloth using natural vegetable dyes. The art originated in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh where two distinct styles have been practised for several generations - Srikalahasti and Machilapatnam. The Srikalahasti style is free hand drawn after treating the cloth with buffalo milk, to ensure that it catches the natural dye. The Machilapatnam style is different, as the craftsmen create their designs with the help of hand-carved blocks. Kalamkari art is known for its beautiful colour patterns that flow through a variety of different themes. It is gaining more importance in today's time, for being a natural and eco-friendly art.
2. Hand Block Print
Block print is an age-old craft of dyeing and colouring a fabric using hand-carved wooden blocks practised most widely in the western Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The earliest recorded history of block printed fabrics dates back to the Indus Valley civilisation, around 3500 to 1300 BC. Besides hand carving the blocks, block printing itself is a tedious labour intensive technique. Intricately carved blocks are dipped in dyes and stamped onto cotton fabric to make saris, dupattas, bedsheets, curtains, and so on. An important centre for block printing is the village of Bagru near Jaipur.
3. Kantha
Kantha is a type of embroidery craft practised widely in the eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent, specifically in Bangladesh and in West Bengal, Tripura and Odisha. The entire cloth is covered with running stitches, employing beautiful motifs of flowers, animals, birds and geometrical shapes, as well as themes from everyday activities. The stitching on the cloth gives it a slightly wrinkled, wavy effect. Contemporary kantha is applied to a wider range of garments such as sarees, dupatta, shirts for men and women, bedding and other furnishing fabrics, mostly using cotton and silk.
