These are the anonymous calendar artists of Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. From the 18th Century, the printing press and celebrated artists like Raja Ravi Varma have helped to create a mass market for religious pictures, especially in Hindu iconography. “I was fortunate to meet the noted calendar artist C Kondiah Raju (1898-1972) when I was in school in Kovilpatti. Different strokesIt has been many years since CS Anandan picked up a brush or pencil, but his career has been defined by calendar art. “My calendar pictures travel all over the country,” he says.

Source: The Hindu September 28, 2020 12:11 UTC