Bengal’s Stiched Story – The Kantha Chronicles

The essence of fabrics and clothes has always concurred to be a symbol. Especially in the land of India, where we were looked down upon for our fashion choices, the simple art of handloom meant “liberty.” Liberty from those who forcefully ruled India, Liberty from the classist elitists, and Liberty from the so-called sanctioned boundaries of society; fabrics provided not just comfort from the cold but also uplifted the segment of confidence, especially amongst the women class. And such is the beckoning tale of Kantha, where we see how marvelously the feminine strata of Bengal took it upon themselves to gather and stitch through in times when an idea of what fashion is prospered. But their outlook was never to make kantha stand out; in fact, it was a necessary step for maintaining their livelihood, which passed and faced many hardships. It was an action meant for survival against not only injustice but also the stereotype that women always have to be clothed in prim and proper fabrics; the Kantha makers never went for such false justification; their idea didn’t start with glorifying the ethos of mannerism rather all they wanted to accomplish was “sustainability.”

Origin and History

Tracing back to the history of Kantha, we find that the name itself emerged from the Sanskrit word “Kontha,” which implies ‘rags’, but some scholars believe that it periodically found its footing in the Hindi word “Katha,” which means ‘story.’ Looking back, there’s a definite literal meaning behind these implications, which is further enhanced by emotive sentiments.

Kantha, which is also known as the ‘Recycling Art,’ first came to origin when ‘Women of Bengal’ felt the need to drape their bodies. Bengal at that time faced a shift; fabrics suddenly became expensive, and unable to afford those materials, the women decided to make their own clothing fibers by stitching worn-out articles of different fabrics and merging them via threads. Credibly, the old here was used to produce something new and fashionable that in itself redefined the notion of Beauty. The rags from the old clothes became the touching effect of something nouveau.

What is more exemplary in this scenario is that India a country which is known for its handcrafted exquisite designs including Chikankari, Phulkari, and Kasuti embroidery foretold an art of Bengal that was not birthed for the purpose of serving royalties nor was it an example truly quoting the ‘exoticness and elegance of other embroidered works such as Zardozi’, rather it showcased the very basic nature of livelihood i.e., thrift. Thrift designs and clothing today have enormous popularity but to analyze that women at that time were craftily using this technique is impeccable.

However, there’s more to Kantha; it was not just a means of existence but it validated cultural identity and tradition. The art and knowledge of Kantha making were orally transmitted over generations, creating a linkage between the female patronage of the families; it bridged a gap between the elders and the younglings, which forever remained buried in the embroidered craft.

A Look Towards The Past

Historically, it has been proclaimed that Kantha found its lineage from Lord Buddha. Lores states that when Buddha left his crown, treasure, and title, all he donned was a ragged cloth that was stitched together through threads. In fact, the great poet Rabindranath Tagore stated in his poem “Ebar Phirao Morey” that how young Siddhartha only accepted a “Chhinna Kantha,” meaning a tattered kantha, when he first went on his journey to search for the ultimate truth. He shorn all his princely garments, and in reference to this, we understand how Kantha has been symbolically presented as one of the most humblest domestic forms, also termed as “Jeerna Kantha,” which, as a result, reflects a quilted textile made up of “threadbare pieces of Cloth.”

Contextually, highlighting this presumption, Dr. Stella Kramrisch claimed although Kantha is of ancient origin yet, the most dated Kantha is known to be manufactured in the year 1875.

Techniques, Motifs, and Forms

When it comes to techniques, we find that the sole phenomenon used here is “Stitching.” The old discarded dhoti and saree pieces of both men and women are all sewn together via threads and the base material is always subjected to a white thin cotton layer. Cloth pieces are placed on top of each other and are held neatly together, and then they are crafted to form quilts, wraps, and spreads, all while creatively embroidering motifs, which at times bespoke mythological sagas and tales. The motifs, at times, are also imbued with protective and talismanic symbols that, in essence, focus on social strata or sometimes also act as a message to society and the locals. It upholds the ingenuity of religious themes along with several legends to keep the ancient stories ongoing.

Kantha, hence, was also one of the means by which the aspect of folktales and oral tales survived through time immemorial.

Who were behind it?

Women mainly were the creators of Kantha, and they credentially derived from Jessore, Khulna, and Faridpur. Some of the Kantha artists are also from Bangladesh since it was a prospered craft before the partition; hence, there was no division between Bengal, and thus, unitedly, this art form flourished.

In Kantha extraordinarily, the stitch that is used is simple “Running Stitch,” and the craft consists of both quilting and embroidery techniques. It is further stated that it takes at least a year to prepare a Kantha, so we can gradually assume how neat and intricate the work ends up being. And when catered to Motifs, we find that the main inspiration was taken from the day-to-day lives and from folk stories and mythologies.

So, if we look into it, we shall understand that the motifs mostly used were either animal or human figures, along with foliage and floral symbols. In this art form, ‘Lotus’ was usually taken as the Central design, and along with that, we find symbols resonating Tree of Life, Fishes, Chariots, Palanquins, and Birds.

Revival and Extinction

It was in the 1980s when Kantha Art took a massive turn. Shamlu Dudeja, who was the main force behind it, brought Kantha to the doors of all households by endlessly promoting this craft form. While starting with four women in the beginning, she gradually provided employment to a larger number of women in the five districts of Bengal, resulting in the evolution of women in the path of freedom and independence. This gave women the opportunity to invest and showcase their primordial skills in an all-accepting platform. Unfortunately, in the present times, Kantha has been going through certain rough stumbles, and it is barely surviving. This handmade fabric art, which was articulated with so much love and care, is now commercialised to an extreme extent, due to which the quality has been degrading through the years, and although machines have tried to replicate the techniques it is yet to apply the same justice to the established art-form.

Moreover, as per research, instead of facing extinction, Kantha is suffering through the panorama of depersonalization, where factories, with their rough manoeuvres, have stripped Kantha of their human touch, making the essence of Kantha fade away.

As if that’s not enough, like most local crafts, Kantha also highlights the difficult life that the artisans have to go through because of unlivable and unfair wages.