In Sikalnayakanpet, Thiruppanandal in Tamil Nadu, a family continues to breathe life into ancient, almost 1000-year-old eco-friendly techniques, creating pieces that depict stories of deities and nature
K Lakshmi Narayan showing a Kalamkari painting with a scene from a royal procession at his residence and workshop in Sikalnayakanpet, Thiruppanandal in Tamil Nadu. Image: Veidehi Gite
At this home-run workshop spanning two floors, the walls whisper tales of ancient artistic brilliance. The first room on the ground floor is a display of finished and unfinished paintings. In this room, Karuppur Kalamkari paintings on cotton fabric are piled up against the wall, like a stack of colourful dreams. The air is filled with the smell of paint, and bamboo and echam sticks stand guard in a green basket, ready to dance across the canvas. This is the home of R Krishnamurthy, living craft treasure and state awardee, and his son K Lakshmi Narayan, Kalanithi and state awardee doctorate in kalamkari.