Kalamkari Artisans Under Pressure From Competition With Printed Products

Traditional Kalamkari artisans in Srikalahasti are under pressure as their handmade products have to increasingly compete with machine-printed pieces in the town’s expanding market.

A traditional artisan may spend 10 to 20 days drawing and colouring a sari by hand. Machine printing can reproduce a similar design on hundreds of pieces in a day at much lower costs.

Srikalahasti Kalamkari is a hand-drawn craft in which artisans use a bamboo or date palm pen to draw designs and apply colours through a series of processes involving natural dyes, washing, and drying. Each piece requires considerable time and manual work. The artisan’s skill determines the final design and finish.

Machine-printed Kalamkari follows a different process. Once a design is prepared, it can be reproduced repeatedly on fabric, allowing large quantities to be produced in a short time.

Online listings show hand-painted Srikalahasti Kalamkari cotton saris starting at around ₹4,500, with elaborate silk pieces priced above ₹10,000. Printed Kalamkari fabric from Srikalahasti is listed at around ₹300 a metre, with the price of printed saris starting from ₹1,800.

Artisans say the problem arises when the two products compete with the buyers unable to notice the difference between a handmade and machine-printed product. Artisans allege that some printed products are being sold as traditional Kalamkari works, even at prices comparable to handmade products.

“It takes nearly 20 days to complete one piece using traditional methods. We prepare the colours ourselves using natural sources. The drawing is done entirely by hand. It takes time and effort, but that is what gives it value. Today, many products imitate the Kalamkari look. That is affecting our art and remuneration," artisan K. Niranjan Raju from Srikalahasti said.

For artisans, the issue is not just availability of cheaper products. They say faster production of printed material is reducing the value placed on the time and skill involved in handmade Kalamkari. With buyers able to find similar-looking products at different price points, genuine handmade pieces are getting undermined.

"The Kalamkari trade in Srikalahasti has expanded rapidly. More than 100 shops have come up in the town during the past five years. But the increase in shops and products has not improved the earnings of traditional artisans. Despite the high retail prices of handmade Kalamkari saris, artisans, who spend days making them, continue to receive only modest returns," said Rani Sadasivam, a traditional Kalamkari artisan from Srikalahasti.

The Kalamkari Artisans Welfare Association has previously raised concerns over low daily earnings and the declining number of people continuing the traditional craft. It wants handmade and printed products to be clearly identified and labelled, along with marketing support and direct market opportunities for traditional artisans.

The association also wants training programmes to focus on preserving the hand-drawn technique and creating sustainable employment for skilled artisans.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has been providing special training to those interested in learning traditional Kalamkari. Artisans say similar institutional support in Srikalahasti should be accompanied by government measures to protect the market for handmade products.

“Our concern is that if the market continues to give more importance to the appearance of Kalamkari than the traditional work behind it, we may lose the artisans and skills that have kept Srikalahasti Kalamkari alive. The craft will survive only when the market recognises and supports the handmade work," said a representative of the Kalamkari Artisans Welfare Association.