Wear a calligraphy motif
Poosapati Parameshwar Raju’s affinity towards calligraphy is well known in art circles. The artist who brought out religious motifs through Ramayana series in calligraphy a few months ago is now working on a ‘functional art’ series. In his studio at Masab Tank, he adjusts the drape of a hand woven paithni sari, the pallu of which bears a ‘tree of knowledge’ calligraphy design and tells us, «We have forgotten the art of calligraphy; our schools don’t teach it anymore. Our scriptures are supposed to be in calligraphy, written with the help of a stylus,» he says.
It took Parameshwar Raju a year of experimentation in cooperation with craftsmen to translate some of his designs on various fabrics before arriving at the final designs on paithni weaves. Among the 50-odd designs, the paithni saris now available bear calligraphy motifs of Naga devata and tree of knowledge. «This is part of a long-term project that aims to integrate works of contemporary and traditional artists. It took a long time to arrive at the finished product. Each sari takes about 40 to 45 days to weave,» explains Raju.
The saris are limited edition pieces (Rs. 35,000 to 50,000) each with a unique design. «I have been advised to have at least five to six saris in one design so that the buyer has more choice. That process will take time. Eventually, we want to have calligraphy on AP handlooms and Uppadas as well. We experimented with a design of Ganesha on Pochampalli. The problem with ikats is that it doesn’t give a smooth finish to the design. We are working towards minimizing the aberrations,» he adds.
Coming up next is a collection of duppatas with calligraphy patterns. Fabrics apart, Raju has roped in craftsmen to transfer calligraphy patterns on to Minakari jewellery, copper coins and puja items. «It’s arduous to do calligraphy on thick silver. The Meenakari work is painstaking, especially with the craftsmen having to get the powder filling right on the fine lines of the three-dimensional designs,» he says.
The options for functional art are endless. A copper coin with calligraphy and a kumkum bharina with the lid bearing Vishnu padam in calligraphy are just some of the puja items. «We have worked on nearly 2000 designs that can be transferred on to fabric for temple offerings, flags for temples, copper and brassware jewellery and more,» says Raju.
Artist Parameshwar Raju displays paithni silks with calligraphy patternSource: The Hindy