Kantha is a type of embroidery popular in West Bengal, India. The use of kantha is

popular in saris traditionally worn by women in Bengal, but any garment or cloth with

kantha embroidery (having a border of decorative running stitch motifs) is called a

kantha garment.

ABOUT THE STATE

West Bengal, is land of many social reformers

like Subhash Chandra Bose, Ravindra Nath

Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo

and many more. During the time of India's

independence, Bengal is divided in to two,

East Bengal and West Begnal. The East

Bengal merged with Pakisthan and West

Bengal with India. On linguistic basis West

Bengal got a status of separate state in India

Union on 1st May 1960. Later the East Begal

demanded for a separate nation and in 1971,

it got the separate status of a country as

Bengladesh.The state is bounded on the east

by Bangladesh, west by Bihar, north by

Bhutan and Sikkim and south by Bay of

Bengal. Here two third of the population

depends on agriculture. West Bengal is known

for its beauty and prosperity.

Area 88,752 sq.km

Capital Kolkata

Language Bengali

Districts 19

Population

Male

Female

80,221,171

41,487,694

38,733,477

Literacy 94.59%

GEOGRAPHICAL:

Click on the map to enlarge

West Bengal was created as a constituent state of the Indian union on 15 August

1947 as the result of partition of the undivided British Indian province of Bengal

into West Bengal. West Bengal covers the bottle neck of India in the east,

stretching from Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south. It is

bounded on the north by Sikkim and Bhutan, on the east by Assam and

Bangladesh. On the south by the Bay of Bengal and on the west by Orissa, Bihar

and Nepal. It has therefore, three international frontiers-to the north, east and

west. The state lies between 27o13'15" and 21o25'24" north latitudes and 85o48'20"

and 89o53'04" east longitudes.

West Bengal has two natural divisions. The

Himalayan north comprising the districts of

Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Bihar and the

alluvial plain that lies south of it.West Bengal is

essentially a flat, featureless alluvial plain large

portion of it being a part of delta of river

Ganga, only one per unit of its area in the far

north is really mountainous. The plateau fringe and the Purulia triangle of upland

along her western border, comprises about six per cent of the total area. The

northern part of the district of Darjeeling is hilly to mountanious. Its border to the

north being fenced with rising mountain ranges of the Himalayas. Downwards, the

mountains slope down to hills and as the borders of Jalpaiguri district are reached,

the hills give way to rolling humid plains known as the Dooars. The Singalila range

along the border with Nepal rises to nearly 3,700 metres, and is well wooded with

rhododendron trees. The Dooars forests are densely wooded with evergreen

vegetation and are the resorts of wild animal including the Royal Bengal tiger,

rhinoceros, elephant, antelope and snakes including Python.

The central region or the 'Malda Pouch' comprising the districts of Malda and West

Dinajpur is geographically an older area than the Gangetic plains below. It has a

slightly higher land level watered inter-mittently by hill rivers among which the

Mahananda with its winding course is the largest. It pours into the Ganga a little

above Farakka in Bangaladesh.

The southern region, starting in the north from

the point where the Ganga demarcates in the

boundaries of the districts of Malda and

Murshidabad consists of two geographically

distinct areas. "Western Plateau Fringe"

consist of the Purulia district and the western

part of the districts of Birbhum, Burdwan,

Bankura and Midnapur. The highest point of

this plateau, named Goraburu Hill in Purulia

district is 677 metres and the lowest point is

85 metres above the sea level where the up land ends in Midnapur district on the

northern bank of the Subarbarekha river the altitude falls to 50 metres above the

sea level. The plateau forms the tail-end of the chhartisgarh state of Orissa and

Madhya Pradesh.

The rest of the southern region is a vast alluvial plain, except for the western

plateau fringe and the sub-montane area of Darjeeling district, the entire length

of WestBengal is one rolling up land. The vast alluvial plains of the state spread

from Jalpaiguri and Siliguri in the north to the Sundarban creeks and its Kanthi

littoral in the south. The southern region is bisected by the Bhagirathi

(Hooghly)river, one of the two forks of the Ganga that take off from top of

Murshidabad district. The plain land on the western bank of the Hooghly river is

largely formed by the deposits carried by a system of hill rivers rising in the

western hills that pour their waters into the Hooghly and form part of the Gangetic

delta. The main river in this system is the Damodar, Bengal's 'River of Sorrow'. The

plains to the east are watered by distributaries of the Ganga branching off in West

Bengal as well as Bangladesh. One feature of these plains is the existence of

shallow lagoons called 'dahas'or 'boonrs', formed by beds of distributaries that got

silted up above and below and of low marsh lands called bells that become flooded

during the rainy season.

The coastal fringe likewise is of two distinct characters, west of the Hooghly the

coastal strip in Midnapur district called the Contai or Kanthi strip. It consist of sand

dunes and salt marshes mingled with each other. The marshes are formed behind

Courtesy for Picture

Prakash Saha

Kolkata

well-developed sand bars. At places there are large shifting sand dunes, which have

a tendency to blow landwards and encroach upon the cultivated land behind them.

Vistas of Casuarinas plantation are being developed all along the coast to fix the

dunes and stop sea erosion. The Japanese quick growing creeper Kudzu is also

being planted. The natural vegetation consists of clumps of Keya bushes. Their

fragrant flowers are collected to produce the famous Kewra scent.

The Sunderbans

The Hooghly river estuary that covers the entire southern portion, nearly a fourth of

the total area of twenty four Parganas district consist of the remarkable tropical

forest called the Sunderbans. The major portion of this Sforest is located in the

adjoining Bangladesh district of Khulna and Barisal. The region is entirely alluvial. It

is crisscrossed by a network of naturally forming arterial streams branching off from

the major waterways and almost wholly consist of swamps and morasses

abounding in quick sands. Close to the sea-belts the jungles are thick and hardly

penetrable on account of the boggy character of the soil and the treacherous-sharp

pointed spikes of the Sundri (mangrove) trees. The Sunderbans are abound in

royal Bengal tiger, leopard, rhinoceros, wild hog, deer, monkeys, python, different

species of Cobra and other snakes and many varieties of birds. The rivers are

abound in Crocodile, shark and many kinds of fish.

The jungle prevent major erosion of the coastline, the tidal incursions of saline

water from the sea and the torrential flow of water in the river during the monsoons

cause frequent and considerable changes in the land area above the jungle fringe.

Here is a constant war between nature and man for saving the rice producing

agricultural land from being inundated by brackish water or being rapidly eroded by

the sea. Huge earthen dykes are constructed around agricultural settlements called

Chauks. The hinter land between the Damodar and the Hooghly and right up to the

border of Bangladesh is served by dead or drying channels of the Hooghly. This

area is called the Moribund Delta.

Climate

West Bengal has a tropical climate. The plains are hot except during the short

winterseason.

The mountanious region in the north is cold. On

account of its altitude but th

ere humidity is high. The classical tradition speaks of

six seasons-Spring, Summer, the rainy, Autumn, mild

Winter and severe Winter. Only four clearly marked

seasons with a brief interregnum of spring are

observed, namely the hot season, the rainy season,

the post monsoon season corresponding to autumn

and the cold season. The hot season lasts from mid-

March to mid-June, with the day temperature ranging

from 38o C to 45oC in different parts of the state. At

nights, a cool southerly breeze carrying moisture from

the Bay of Bengal is usually present. The high

temperature often causes troughs of low pressure to form on the plains which are

compensated by sudden briefs storms known as kal-baisakhi or 'nor-westers',

accompanied by thunder showers. These summer storms can be quite destructive.

The hills of Darjeeling district are pleasantly cool in summer, the higher reaches are

sometimes enveloped in heavy fog. On some days, one is rewarded by the sight of

the majestic snow-girt Kanchanjunga and the eastern Sikkim ranges and the

greenness of the wooded hills and gorges that abound on all sides.

The monsoon arrives by a middle of June. Its scouts start arriving about two weeks

before its normal onset. This is called the Chhota monsoon which breaks the hot

spell of summer. The monsoon rains in west Bengal are caused solely by the

current of wind from the Bay of Bengal.

Variability is a characteristic feature of the monsoon in west Bengal as well as

Bangladesh and Orissa which all receive the impact of the south-west Bay current.

Breaks in the continuity of rain are not unusual, the resultant thoughts of low

pressure develop into cyclone storms especially towards the end of the season and

in early autumn.

A welcome change in the weather begins to be distinctly felt towards the end of

September. Autumn in West Bengal is the season for festivity in the fields the

golden grain of paddy starts ripening and is harvested towards the end of the

season. The conclusion of the round of the festivities marks the onset of the winter

in mid-November.

Winter, which lasts about three months, is mild over the plains, the average

minimum temperature not falling 15o C. It is attended by a cold and dry northern

wind, substantially lowering the humidity level. Winter is the season for the rabi

crops-pulses, potato and vegetables and citrus fruits that grow on the Darjeeling

hills. There occurs a short interregnum of clouds and rain usually the last week of

December and the first week of January, caused by the incursion of the western

monsoon coming all the way from the Arabian Sea. The cold is severe on the hills

and there are sometimes sleet and snow on the higher reaches during the days of

rain.

The weather gets warmer by the middle February, which heralds a brief spring

season lasting about a month during which the deciduous trees break out in young

green leaves and flowers. But this mellow season is too short-lived and the heat is

turned on until with the coming of April, clammy summer comes in full blast and

the annual cycle of seasons rolls on once again

Rivers and Water Ways

The hilly region in the north comprising the

district of Darjeeling is cut through by deep

gorges ofthe Teesta which flows from north to

south between mountainous banks rising two

to three kilometres above the stream. The

Teesta on debouching into the plains south of

Darjeeling at Sevoke, flows in a mighty stream

on straight line towards the south east until it

pours its waters into the Brahamaputra in

Bangladesh. Other rivers, smaller than the

Teesta, rising in the Himalayas are Jaldhaka,

the Torsha, the Sankosh and the Raidak. Of

these the Torsha is the most turbulent. These rivers, carrying the back of the

monsoon waters of the huge catchment area of the Himalayas. During the dry

reason they are navigable in the plains below. The Mahananda rises from springs in

the Dow Hills forest, below Darjeeling town falls in the spectacular cascade named

Pagla-Jhora in to the sloping plains of southern Darjeeling district and fed by three

other similar rivers the Mahanadi, the Balason, and the Machi runs a zig-zag course

through Maldah district into the Padma in Bangladesh.

The central region is watered by the Mahananda as well as such rivers arising in

the plains as the Tangan, the Punarbhava and the Atrai the former two combine

their streams and flow into the Mahananda and the Atrai flows into the Padma in

Bangladesh. The southern region is served by two river systems. One for plateau

and the plains west of the Gangetic delta and the other for the Gangetic delta itself.

Courtesy for Picture

Prakash Saha

Kolkata

In the former area, a number of rivers originating in the western plateau flow down

in a south easterly direction and join the Bhagirathi, the main westerly channel of

the Ganga moving down to the estuary of the Bay of Bengal. Of these the north

most is the Mayurakshi, which is fed by tributaries Brahmani, Dwaraka, Bakreswar

and Kopai. A little to the south the river Ajay rising in the hills of Bihar, flows down

the plateau fringe, marking the boundary between Bankura nd Birbhum districts

and joins the Bhagirathi at Katwa. Three other small streams Khari, Banka and

Behula were one distributaries of Damodar, but are now meandering streams. The

biggest river of the plateau fringe, the Damodar, also rising in the Bihar hills runs

down in an easterly course until it takes a turn to the south and flows into the

Hooghly river. Hooghly river is called as 'River of Sorrow'.

Further south is the Rupanarayan made up of two streams, Dwarakeswar and Silai

or Silabati. It joins the Hooghly near the estuary at Haldia and its impressive width

up to Kolaghat is due to the tidal action on estuary. Still farther south are the

Kansabati or Kasai and the Subarnarekha, the latter rising in the Orissa hills and

striking the boundary between the states of Orissa and West Bengal.

In the remainder of the southern region, the main channel of Ganga called Padma

runs into Bangladesh where it joins to Brahmaputra and the two rivers runs into

one of the broadest estuaries of the world and later meets Bay of Bengal below

Noakhali in Bangladesh. The main body of the Ganga waters being carried by the

Padma. The main channel with in a West Bengal is the Bhagirathi named in its

lower reaches the Hooghly river by the British taking off at the head of Murshidabad

district, the Bhagirathi flows southwards into a sea past the port city of Calcutta.

Near the Sea-mouth it is joined by the Rupmarayan at Haldia. The other main

channels the Bhairah and the Jalangai were mighty waterways on account of

changes in the land level due to seismic factors and the deposition of heavy

quantities of salt the Bhagirathi has been reduced to a spill channel. The silting of

the main channel river itself has assumed such alarming proportions that steamship

navigation up to the Port of Calcutta has been seriously hampered by rise and

spread of Sand banks. An effort have to resuscitate its flow has been made in the

shape of the Farakka Barrage project which has completed in 1974.

The channels near the bay mouth are broad and comparatively free from silt

deposits. Tidal bores coming up from the sea on full-moon days during late

monsoon and in autumn sometimes rise to a height of over six metres at the

estuary, to about three metres in-land at Calcutta.

The other main channels in tidal basin are the Manganga or Baratola, the

Saptamukhi, the Thakuran, the Malta, the Gaushaba and the Raimangal which

skirts the boundary between West Bengal and Bangladesh in the extreme south. All

the channels are safe and pleasant during fair weather months for navigation by

country boat and streamers, affording as they do a unique view of the majestic

Sunderbans.

Natural Vegetation- Forest of the Darjeeling Hills | Tropical Mixed Evergreen

Forests of the Foot Hills | Deciduous Forests Of The Plateau Fringe | Mangraove

Vegetation Of The Sudarbans

Natural Vegitation

Forests of three distinct areas exist in the state. These are the forests of the north

which include the mountain temperate forests and the tropical forests of the

Duars, the deciduous forests of the plateau fringe and the mangrove forests of

Sunderbans. Of these the northern forests are the most important.

Forests of the Darjeeling Hills

These forests are related to altitude and aspect. Below 1000 metres there are

tropical evergreen forests. Above 1000 metres the effect of altitude is definitely

felt. Subtropical forests are found in between 1000 and 1500 metres. Terminalia,

Cedrela, Michelia, Various laurels and Bamboos are found in this belt.

Temperate forests are found from 1500 to 3000 metres. They contain some

varieties of oaks and conifers. Magnolia campbellii and large rhododendrons tree

are also found in this belt. Much of this forest area has been cleared for

tea gardens around Darjeeling and Kurseong. Beech and birch are found in many

areas. Conifers are found in slightly higher situations. There are dense forests of

deodars nearly all along the Dow Hill ridge which continue up to Senchal, and

clothe the entire Tiger Hill. Birches are found all round Darjeeling. There are few

deodars on the Ghoom ridge, where oaks are more common. Due to the

occurrence of mists on the southern slopes, the trees are covered with mosses and

orchids. Many kinds of sweet temperate berries are also found in the undergrowth.

Magnolias and oaks occur around Kalimpong while conifers cover higher slopes

and peaks. Above 3000 metres, silver fir is very common. It is common in the

Singalila Range. Dwarf rhododendrons also occur here. Higher up are Alpine

meadows, smell bushes and flowering plants.

Tropical Mixed Evergreen Forests of the Foot Hills

Some of the most dense forests of West Bengal occur in the foothills of the

Himalayas. Many of them are protected. They are generally well managed and

properly exploited. Much of this forest is moist deciduous and here sal (shorea

robusta) is the most common and valuable tree. Other common tree associated

with sal forests are Champa (Michelia Champaea) and Chilauni (Schima Wallichii),

Khair, Gamar and toon. Bamboo is also found here. Vistas of tall grasses grow

along the rivers. Evergreen laurels and other moisture loving plants are found

mixed up with the deciduous forests.

A broad belt of these forests stretches along the entire length of the northern

districts. It is broader towards the east in the Duars. Here low-level tea gardens

have taken a heavy toll of the forests. Corridors of these forests penetrate the hills

along the river gorges of Mechi, Balason, Mahanadi, Tista, Jaldhaka and many other

smaller streams.

This forest is very dense. There is much

undergrowth of shrubs and bushes. Orchids cling

to the trees and giant creepers form a

tangled mass of impenetrable vegetation. Wild

animals abound in the jungles which include the

rare one-horned Indian rhinoceros, the elephant

and the Bengal tiger. Sanctuaries have been provided for them at Mahananda,

Gorumara (National Park), Chapramari, Neora Valley (National Park), Jaldapara

and Buxa (Tiger Reserve).

Soils of these forests are naturally rich in humus. Along the river beds the soils are

found in broad belts of sterile sands and pebbles. At some places high banks of

these gravels are found.

People -Racial composition | Education | Dress | Food Habits

Racial composition

In their racial composition, the inhabitants of West Bengal present a prolific inter

mixture of five separate racial strains. The oldest stratum of the population is

Proto-Australian in origin. The element called Nishadic is found preponderantly

among the tribals in the plateau fringe and beyond into Chhotanagpur and central

India. They are long headed, dark skinned, broad-nosed and short in stature.

Variously labeled as Negritos and Negroids, their physical features are evident

among the lowest castes of Bengal, mainly the peasants.

The next wave of immigration was by a long-headed race with a taller structure,

sharp nose and prominent chin, known as Dravidians. This race is believed to have

come from the northern Mediterranean littoral, shortly in their wake came the

round headed Sumerians, also called Armenoids, from western area, via, Persia.

The next considerable racial element to come into the western

part of Bengal is the round headed Alpine or Indo-Aryan race

with its fair skin, oval face, prominent nose and long body.

The fifth racial strain, the Mongoloid is represented in the

population of the Darjeeling district of northern West Bengal,

which is of the Tibetan type. Undoubtedly Mongoloid features

show unimistakable traces among Hindu as well as Muslim

rural people of north Bengal districts the Koches and Rajbanis

of the Dooars plains shows additional traces of mixture with

the eastern Mongoloids of the Burmese type.

The five main racial strains are inextricably intermixed, and it is practically

impossible to find a pure racial type in the population. On the whole it may be said

that the main elements of the Bengali race are the long headed

matrilineal Mediterranean type which brings our Dravidian affinity and the round

headed Mediterranean type who associates with the people of upper India. As

regards the so-called lower castes of the state, these elements are of much lesser

importance. The predominant element here being the proto-Australoid in varying

proportions.

Education

In the whole of the rural West Bengal and in the most of the municipal areas the

primary education is free and compulsory. Free supply of text books have been

under taken. Girls education up to standard VIII has been made free in rural and

urban areas, including Calcutta.

Dress

The common Bengali dress is the dhoti and a stitched upper garment - a shirt, a

Punjabi Kurta or a half-sleeved vest. The urban population has started

favouring pyjama and trousers for convenience and economy. The western style of

dress is being adopted by the more affluent as a status symbol replacing the

achakan-pyjama and the Shamla Pugree, there is a general absence of any kind of

headdresses, Muslims cover there head during prayer and religious ceremonies.

The women invariably wear the waist to ankle length sari in a graceful style. The

upper part is covered by different styles of blouses.

Food Habits

The Bengali is predominantly a rice eater. All but the very devout Hindus eat fish

as a principal item of their food. He has a sweet tooth and everyone who can

afford them enjoys sweet meats made with milk casein (chhan) of which a large

variety have been evolved. Another essential item is dal (pulses) which

supplements their protein requirements. A large assortment of vegetablesand

seasonal fruits completes the dietary. Bengalis prefer to other beverages, the habit

of taking sweetened tea has a spread to there remotest villages. Chewing of pan

laced with lime, Kattha and arecanut is universal., so is the smoking of tobacco,

either plain in the form of bidi or mixed with treacle and spices for the hookah.

Cigarette smoking has been spreading to rural areas but is still something of a

symbol . Drinking of palm juice today and home made alcoholic brews is largely

confined to industrial labour and the tribal population

Kantha stitching is also used to make simple quilts. Women in Bengal typically use

old saris and cloth and layer them with kantha stitch to make a light blanket, throw or

bedspread, especially for children. Kantha is very popular with tourists visiting

Bengal and is a specialty of Bolpur/Shantiniketan, and is similar to the decorative

running stitch of Japanese sashiko quilting. Kantha originated from the way in which

Bengali housewives mended old clothes by taking out a strand of thread from the

colorful border of their saris and making simple designs with them.

Kantha also means throat. The name Nilakanth is given to Lord Shiva, literally

meaning "blue throat" after he swallowed the poison that resulted from the churning

of the ocean, or "Throat chakra". Kantha is also used as an adjective to describe a

style of necklace that lies close to the throat, open at the back.

Kantha used as bed for a baby

[edit]Kantha embroidery of West Bengal

Kantha is still the most popular form of embroidery practised by rural women. The

traditional form of Kantha embroidery was done with soft dhotis and saris, with a

simple running stitch along the edges. Depending on the use of the finished product

they were known as Lepkantha, Sujni Kantha etc. The embroidered cloth has many

uses including women's shawls and covers for mirrors, boxes, pillows etc. In the best

examples, the entire cloth is covered with running stitches, employing beautiful

motifs of flowers, animals birds and geometrical shapes, as well as themes from

everyday activities. The stitching on the cloth gives it a slight wrinkled wavy effect.

Contemporary Kantha is applied to a wider range of garments such as sarees,

dupatta, shirts for men and women, bedding and other furnishing fabrics, mostly

using cotton and silk.

About West Bengal

West Bengal

West Bengal is a state in eastern India. With Bangladesh, which lies on its eastern border, the state forms the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. To its northeast lie the states of Assam and Sikkim and the country Bhutan, and to its southwest, the state of Orissa. To the west it borders the states of Jharkhand and Bihar, and to the northwest, Nepal.

Bengal is famous for the rich tradition of weaving handloom cotton & silk textiles among the tribal and semi-tribal people in the districts . Jamdanis,Tangail , Nilambari,Rajbanshis,cowdial woven saris and kanthas, are few names which are renowned across globe. The sarongs of the Polia,beautifully patterned, multicoloured, narrow jute carpets on similar looms are made by the tribals of West Dinajpur.

The cultivation of mulberry silk and its weaving is carried out in the plains of West Bengal. The other districts where silk yarn is made are Murshidabad, Birbhum, Bankura, Maldha and Purulia districts. The district of Maldah on the north bank of the Ganga is today the most important centre for silk rearing in West Bengal.Tapestry material was made from Baluchar silks which were originally used by nawabs and Muslim aristocrats of the Murshidabad district as; however Hindu noblemen used the raw silk.

Murshidabad silks are popular for hand-printed designs and other materials which are also printed with wooden blocks. Calcutta and Srirampur in the Hooghly district are the main textile hand-printing centres in West Bengal.Traditional silk sari weaving is also done at Vishnupur in Bankura district which bear a lot of similarity with the kataki designs of Orissa. In the districts of Bankura, Birbhum, Purulia, Murshidabad, and Maldah the weavers make plain silk fabrics in rich and varied textures using Tussar and mulberry silk.

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 “women’s art” .It was the Bengali housewife who helped the art of embroidery to

evolve. From embroidering her husband’s 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 Zaman’s 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 Perecles’s 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 baby’s 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

2

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 baby’s 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 landlord’s wife making her own elaborate

embroidered quilt in her leisure time, and the tenant farmer’s 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.