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 “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

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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.

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GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION General description: Birbhum is the northernmost District of the Burdwan Division. It lies between 23° 32’30’’ and 24°35’0’’ north latitude and 88°1’40’’ and 87°5’25’’ 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…

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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

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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.

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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;

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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.

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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.

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Size: 23 inches

Unit 1 at work

Unit2 at work

Instructor Jahanara begum training

Sari by Unit 1

Sari by Unit 2

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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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