HISTORY OF THE CRAFT

Kantha is an indigenous household craft, made the rural women in West Bengal; it is a
specialty of Bolpur-Santiniketan and remains also the most creative of all embroidery
styles in this part of India.
Origins:
Kantha also means throat. The name Nilakanth is given to Lord Shiva, literally meaning,
blue throat after he swallowed the poison that arose as a result of the churning of the
ocean, It is also known as the Throat charka. The origin of Kantha traces its history to a
period not less than a thousand years. Its images reach back to even earlier sources, preand post- Vedic. Some symbols such as the tree of life, the swirling cosmos, and the sun
are taken from the primitive art. The later influence of Hinduism, in the making of
Kanthas for religious ceremonies, pujas, weddings and births, gave the art its place as a
vehicle of significant cultural meaning. The textile printing tradition of Bengal dates back
to a few centuries. Wooden block printing on cotton and silk have achieved a distinction
in the Serampur Hooghly district. Batik printing done mainly by women have undergone
years of experimentation. If ever there was a true sorority in the world of ideas, it must
have been in the field of quilt making. Women, all over the world, took up the
responsibility of providing everybody with the warmth against the cold. Kantha making
is a womens art .It was the Bengali housewife who helped the art of embroidery to
evolve. From embroidering her husbands initials on his handkerchief to sewing pieces of
discarded cloth with colorful threads to make Kantha, the lady of the house busied herself
with needle and thread as soon as her domestics chores were over.
The earliest mention of Bengal Kantha is found in the book, Sri Chaitanya
Charitamrita, by Krishnadas Kaviraj which was written some five hundred years back.
There the poet says, Sachi, the mother of Chaitanya, sent a homemade Kantha to her son
at Puri through some pilgrims. The same Kantha still can be viewed in Gambhira, at Puri,
displayed in a glass case.
The second earliest reference is in Zamans book about the famous artist A. Tagore. Who
seemed to have encountered a woman in a village in a district of Srihatta of Bangladesh,
who recorded her life story in her Kantha spanning a period starting from her marriage to
old age. Bengal Kantha making is a little different from other quilting artistry. The
material is different as well as the stitching method.
From a very long time, Bengal cotton and silk have been known in the world market for
its finesse and quality. Bengal muslin was an item of export even at Perecless time.
When such beautiful creations were worn and old, Bengal women did not see any reason
to throw them away. Beautiful sari borders were preserved, the soft dhotis were placed
layer upon layer and stitched in sari borders; thus started the first recycling art of the
world. The stitching patterns of Bengal Kanthas are simple, but it can be very intricate
depending on the inclination of the Kantha maker. Bengal Kantha makers reflect their
traditions in choosing their designs. The real value of Kantha embroidery lies in its fine
craftsmanship and vignette of daily folk life motifs being a favourite of the embroiderers.
In Bengal, Kanthas were originally used as babys diapers, or wrappers for laying
newborn babies in the courtyard while they were massaged with mustard oil. The idea of
using this embroidery commercially, originated more in urban groups. The number of

layers used to vary according to the use of which the Kantha was meant. Normally the
top and bottom layers of a Kantha were white or of a very light color, so that the
embroidery done with faded threads drawn from the sari borders were not lost. At present
day, due to the high cost of handcrafted materials, Kantha making for the babys diaper is
not cost effective at all. However, in the early seventies, there had been a revival in
Kantha art in both the Bengals. Sreelata Sirkar derived inspiration from Pratima Devi of
Santiniketan and started designing Kanthas for teamwork. Thus, she not only received a
dying art, but also made room for a great economic activity for West Bengal women.
Kantha is characterized by the pattered running stitches.
History of the meaning:
Kantha is like a personal diary, a letter one writes to a particular person, and is not meant
to be ready by all. In East Bengal the Kantha was a personal expression, an art-craft that
was made spontaneously, even whimsically. It was never commissioned by rulers, nor
ordered by the landed gentry. No two pieces are the same. It was craft that was practiced
by women of all rural classes, the rich landlords wife making her own elaborate
embroidered quilt in her leisure time, and the tenant farmers wife making her own
thrifty, coverlet, equal in beauty and skill. The Kantha is an invocation to the gods and
spirits for the prosperity and protection of the family. A real Kantha is able to narrate a
story, and is much more compact in design and it is made out of used materials. It has
been passed on for generations, from mothers to daughters and is largely a dowry
tradition.
It shows signs of decline today, beginning with the urban area, where career women have
no time for such pedestrian skills. The pastoral tribes, whose mainstay for the women
has been embroidery, did not have the impetus to market their goods to generate a
comfortable income. Traditional embroidery is so interlinked with every dimension of
living, and often an esoteric idiom, that it is nearly impossible to slot them into
categories. Very often, the embroidery traditions in each region point community reveal
caste identities, status and the village of its origin. The Hindu Kantha makers would tend
to choose from religion motifs, like gods and goddesses, the alpanas representing lotus
flower, conch shells, various birds and beast like peacock, parrots, elephants, lion, tiger,
whereas the Muslim women are usually restricted to geometrical designs and plants and
flowers. Within that restriction, they are able to create wonderful artifacts in jainamaz
Kantha, dastarkhan, or gilaf embroidery.
The craft is being practiced today by millions women mainly in the districts of Birbhum
Burdwan, Hooghly, 24 Parganas North and South and Murshidabad. Even as it has
evolved from being a subsistence activity done for personal satisfaction and
metamorphosed itself to a viable economic activity, Kantha still maintains a strong
cultural and social significance in the Bengali society. It has become a mean of livelihood
today and yet maintains itself as a household craft in many senses. Many of the women
engaged in this craft continue to practice it from within their homes.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
General description: Birbhum is the northernmost District of the Burdwan Division. It
lies between 23 3230 and 24350 north latitude and 88140 and 87525 east
longitude. In shape it looks like an isosceles triangle. The apex is situated at the northern
extremity not far south of point where the Ganges and the hills of the Santhal Parganas
begin to diverge while the river Ajay forms the base of this triangle. Birbhum is bounded
on the north and west by Santhal Parganas, on the east by the districts of Murshidabad
and Burdwan and on the south by Burdwan, from which it is separated by the Ajay River.
The district extends over an area of 4545 Sq. Kms.
Nanoor is about 177 kms away from the city of Kolkata. Nanoor is under Bolpur
subdivision and situated 20kms away from Bolpur Railway station.

A rural Craft Village

FLOW CHART

Phase 1: The artisans make some sketches of design, accordingly to a specific

frame and precise measures. The sheets of paper have been previously cut so that
the designs will fit in a frame according to the measures of the hat.

Phase 2: The best designs are selected and are practiced by every artisans until the
motif is perfectly done; 40 designs in total are chosen

Phase 3: The designs are pierced on a tracing paper

Phase 4: The cloth that will be used for the hat is cut according to the same
measures taken for the phase 1, so that the motifs designed on the paper will
perfectly fit on the cloth.

Phase 5: The motifs pierced on the tracing paper are printed on the cloth;
Phase 6: The artisans add colors to the motifs designed on the sheet of paper; they
will be the final model of the pattern for the hat; the more beautiful combination
of colors are selected;

Phase 7: The artisans can start stitching on the cloth, accordingly to the final
colored model of the design.

Artisans embroidering motifs on cloth

METHODOLOGY OF THE PROCESS STEP BY STEP

Phase 1:
The artisans design the patterns on sheets of paper; first, they learn how to cut the sheets
according to the good measures with the help of one of our volunteer; then they start
practicing in the frame.

Artisans taking the measures of the sheet of paper.

Artisans designing.

Phase 2: Once the best designs are selected, the artisans pierce them with needle on a
tracing paper.

Artisans at Design drawing and tracing!!!!!!!!!

Phase 3:
The artisans cut the cloth according to the same measures that are required for the size of
the hat;

Phase 4:
The artisans can now print the cloth; they use the tracing paper which has been pierced
and a black product a mix of alcohol and black powder so that the print will not fade.

But all the originality of the hats remains in the fact that the motifs are printed in a certain
disposition; hence, half of the motif is printed at both end of the cloth so that the final
shape will present the motif in full.

Phase 4:
The designs are colored by the artisans and the selection of the most beautiful is done.

Phase 5:
The artisans can now start stitching the cloth following their pattern.

Hat making by Unit1

Hat making by Unit2
The top and the brim of the Hats are then tailored and stitched to the embroidered
piece of cloth.

Hat prototype
IISD-TD-N-14

Wide brim canvas hat with Kantha stitch

done on the
Visible vertical surface all around the
hat.

Size: 23 inches

Unit 1 at work

Unit2 at work

Instructor Jahanara begum training

Sari by Unit 1

Sari by Unit 2

The coin Purses are made, first by embroidering the stretch cloth for the body of
the coin purse. Then with the use of setters, piping, buckram and card board the
purse is tailored into the final product.

Same embroidery done on different fabrics

like pure silk and Bangalore silk

Artisans communicating ably with customers

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