The Nakshikantha

Anyone who is a Bengali has grown up with Nakshi Kantha, whether it be on our mother's cushions or on our dada's walls. Nakshi Kantha has, over the centuries become embedded in our culture. We are now witnessing it's revival in the fashion world. Not that Nakshi Kantha ever disappeared from the scene, it is actually quite the opposite, Nakshi Kantha has been a steady, thriving business for centuries in Bengal. It's revival is based on the Arts & Crafts trends, with high international demand for genuine hand-crafted work.

The art of Kantha is based on the use of discarded thread, generally from old saris and lunghis. The thread is taken out with great care to be re-used as embroidery thread. Generally this thread is taken from the border of the sari, as the thread is stronger.

This creative tradition was and is practiced in the villages, as well as most Bengali households. The Kantha is basically layers of cloth sown together with running stitches to make the Kantha sturdy enough to withstand washing and sunning. The layers are thick enough to ward off the chill during the winter and rainy season, yet it is also light enough to wrap the old and the newly born.

The stitching of the kantha by the nimble fingers of Bengali women, goes back to the 19th century. At this time women were free of the inter-action between the modern commercialism and rural poverty alleviation. Bengali women were free to draw upon their rich indigenous surroundings as well as their contemporary stories of the British encroachment. They stitched motifs displaying Hindu Mythology, Muslim Saints, the English in their suits and the red-coated soldiers. Their adept fingers stitched ceremonies and rituals practiced around them. The bridal-palanquins, the English Gentlemen on elephants hunting for tigers, the train belching smoke alongside the Alpona motifs from the temples and prayer rooms. All these motifs and designs bare witness for us today of the past.

In Bangladesh; Jessore, Faridpur, Mymensingh and Jamalpur have similar styles when it comes to stitching.  These intricate styles range from very sophisticated patterns to a more simple folk design. These precious works of art remain today silent witnesses of our past, present and let's hope our future…