Kalamkari painting refers to
- (a) a hand-painted cotton textile in South India ✓ UPSC's answer
- (b) a handmade drawing on bamboo handicrafts in North-East India
- (c) a block-painted woollen cloth in Western Himalayan region of India
- (d) a hand-painted decorative silk cloth in North-Western India
Why the answer is (a)
• Kalamkari ('pen work') is a hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile of Andhra Pradesh, using natural dyes and a bamboo pen (kalam): the Srikalahasti style is freehand-painted with mythological themes, the Machilipatnam style is block-printed — option (a).
• It is not from the North-East (b), the Himalaya (c) or the North-West (d), and is cotton, not silk or wool.
• Hence option (a).
Why the other options are wrong
- (b) a handmade drawing on bamboo handicrafts in North-East India
- Kalamkari is a textile, not bamboo craft of the North-East.
- (c) a block-painted woollen cloth in Western Himalayan region of India
- It is cotton from Andhra, not Himalayan wool.
- (d) a hand-painted decorative silk cloth in North-Western India
- It is cotton from South India, not North-Western silk.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2015, held on 23 August 2015. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.