At Aksh weaves and crafts’ small studio in Adyar, there is pin-drop silence except for the faint whirring of a fan. On a table in the centre of the room, an artist is bent over a piece of cloth, drawing with full concentration. When I move closer for a better view, I see a panel with intricate patterns in pencil, parts of which have been coloured in with reds and browns.
“Many of us do not know about the beautiful Nayaka art, which is a culmination of the tradition of the Vijayanagara rulers. Schools of art that came later at Thanjavur and Mysore, are an offshoot of this great tradition,” says Sriya Mishra, co- founder, Aksh Weaves.
Sriya’s love for history, and textiles comes through minutes into our conversation, and it is this passion that has translated into a project they have spent years working on — the nayaka kalamkari textile.
