Book excerpt: Kalamkari means. 'pen work' done on grey cloth using natural dyestuffs portraying motifs of flowers, birds and animals. In ancient India Town of Masulipatam on the Coromandel Coast was home for this wonder fabric, which became popular in the Orient as well as the Occident. The British people were using this imported cloth so vastly that the British Parliament had to pass THE CALICO ACT in order to protect their native weaving.