Introduction: Weaving Memories – The Kantha Embroideries and Textiles of Bengal
Memories can be tricky. While deeply personal and individualized, they can also be collective. And in these slippery slopes, in these nooks and crannies of the dialogue of past and present, we find embedded cultural histories. They can be tangible or intangible, ranging from huge monuments, memorials, ballads, to that of a piece of old cloth, memories work and are expressed in many different ways. The Kantha embroidery of Bengal is one such example. With the base cloth fundamentally being a very close part of the household, often being clothes, worn and softened against the bodies of loved ones, the Kanthas of Bengal thus invoke an intriguing amalgamation of the personalized and the collective, wherein each fabric and thread, with their own stories, form a part of the cultural whole, much like the multi-coloured Kantha itself.
Putting the thread in the needle – The Origins:
For a craft that is so deeply ingrained in the everyday lives of people, the origins of the word itself is obscure in the passage of time. Darielle Mason notes how the explorations towards the etymological roots have drawn varied conclusions from different scholars. For instance, Perveen Ahmad and some scholars state that it has no known root. Others, like Monier-Williams, trace its origins to Sanskrit ‘kantha’, meaning a rag, patched garment (especially one worn by certain ascetics), while referencing ancient grammarian Bhartrihari and the Panchatantra. However, tracing a well defined etymology has remained difficult, as Mason points out, the more generic Sanskrit term for rag is ‘chira’. Thus, it is difficult to conclude whether the Bengali kantha derives from the obscure Sanskrit term, which itself may have migrated, or if it was directly adopted in the Bengal region, or if it is not related to the Sanskrit term at all.
As to the origins of the craft, the clues lie in the landscape and geographical contours itself. Bengal has been historically ensconced in the lush deltaic region of the Brahmaputra and Ganga river systems, with the waterscape of the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean significantly shaping its trajectory. As such, it has also been a commercial nucleus, further enriched by its several domestic craft traditions, like the embroidered muslin and the jamdani weavings.
However, it is difficult to relegate an exact point of origin to something as dynamic as craft traditions and cultural aspects. They are not isolated entities in static frames, rather evolving and dynamic in nature, often escaping documented sources, perhaps simply for the fact of their daily indispensability. As Mason notes, as with many domestic craft traditions, the origins of the embroidered kantha too are obscure in documented sources. Nevertheless, some scholars have speculated on the aspect of the practice being stimulated by the embroidered and quilted textiles exported to the Portuguese market, the Satgaon embroideries, going as far back as to the sixteenth century. However, as Mason points out, it must be noted that the recurring or similar motifs and stitch patterns among the earlier export textiles indicate how kantha or its forebears enjoy an older timeline, and perhaps it was the prevailing domestic practice that sparked the export wares. There is also a mention of it, some note, in the Bengali poet Krishnadasa Kaviraja’s work Chaitanya Charitamrita.
Of Patches, Weaving and Motifs – The Craft: Embroideries and related arts are not alien to the Indian subcontinent. Ranging from pashmina shawls to that of the Toda embroideries of the Nilgiris, textiles and weaving have played a significant role in cultural expression. Neither is the aspect of uniting thrift with functional utility an exception in the kantha tradition. For instance, we do see patchwork quilting in European-American and African-American traditions. However, what makes such cultural expressions unique is the distinctive regional ethos that it reflects. The unity of the ‘personalised’ and the ‘collective’ can also be discerned here. Pika Ghosh, for instance, notes how the Bengal Kanthas’ embroidery forms a collage of well known Bengali narratives, with all their time tested nuances, and as embroidering as a process is deeply individualised, the nuances of such narratives can be taken as a personal act of interpretation. The most significant aspect here is that of the kantha embroideries becoming the voice of women. Traditionally and uniquely being a women-centric craft, the kanthas thus become a canvas for their emotional, social experiences and cultural conscience, along-with their artistic aspirations, notes Sara Bardhan. This becomes even more relevant in context of the earlier centuries, when the stories of women were seldom documented, notes Ghosh, thus providing us a window to an untold domain, amidst a predominating male perspective in the region’s literary and visual arts.
Kantha embroideries are wonderfully fluid. Worn out clothing are layered through the signature ‘running stitch’, creating a wavy, flowy effect, almost as if to replicate and materialize the flowing waterways of the region. Sometimes, the chain stitch or blanket stitch are also used. The cloth is initially traced with the design, and then it is layered, the levels held together by basting stitches. Coloured threads are then used to fill the space. The gaps are filled with yarn stitch which further enhances the wavy ripple in the textile. It is almost as if Bengal’s landscape, rich with rivers and channels, is aestheticized to its essence in the kanthas, invoking life itself.
The fluidity continues in the motifs, invoking a shared cultural ethos, but including its localized nuances as well as the unity of the ‘personalised’ with that of the collective. Thus, we see practices of new-borns cushioned and sheltered in kanthas, to ward off evil eye and elders of the family, especially the women, sending away their daughters with elaborate kanthas, woven with love and strength, hoping to impart the same. As such, motifs range from mythological figures, religious iconographies, to that of the varied elements of lived experiences and also natural elements. A beautiful example of the distinct Bengali ethos localised and expressed from a more widely shared cultural substratum can be seen in a magnificent kantha, part of the Stella Kramrisch collection, depicting the naukavilas episode of Krishna.* Pika Ghosh beautifully delineates how the embroidered depiction relocates the episode to the Bengal delta, underlining the popular narratives of such rooted in the cultural aspects of Bengal, such as the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, the works of fifteenth century Bengali poets like Chandidas and Vidyapati, seventeenth century temple terracottas, popular prints like those of Battala and the patas and patua songs. It is almost like a subconscious unity, interacting with the varied, plural layers of cultural substratum, joining and forming a cultural whole, while at the same time preserving its artistic distinction, through the river of time. Similarly, we see the threads of kantha depicting the plurality of the social fabric, wherein motifs representing both ‘rath’ and ‘masjid’ strike notes of communal harmony and inclusivity, point out scholars like Perveen Ahmad.
Memories, Hurdles, Resilience – The Life of the Textile and the People Around It:
A crafted thing, a work of art, is perhaps incomplete without the artist’s story behind it. Economies change, but somewhere, cultural whispers resonate, through the nooks and crannies of the dialogue between past and present. The current life of the textile and the people around it depict the same. It had been, and perhaps still is, a bittersweet tale. In the earlier centuries, Kantha formed a significant, yet perhaps one of the few channels for women’s voices, implying a marginalised reality, now even as the revival of the tradition gives financial independence and somewhat stability to the women working behind it (who in most cases, especially in current times, come from economically and socially disadvantaged sections) the poignant memory of survival and resilience continues through hurdles against exploitative commercialization and alienation of wages. Modern manufactures for instance, while reviving the craft, have also introduced aspects such as sub-contracting workers, and sidelining them from any say on deciding retail prices.
Empowerment over the years have aided in that resilience, the history of which goes back to the 1940s, to the efforts of Pratima Devi, daughter-in-law of Rabindranath Tagore. Even as the Partition brought a decline, the rural textiles found a global stage in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, through Stella Kramrisch’s vast and rich collection composed during her life in Shantiniketan. The latter still continues to be a home of Kantha embroidered textiles, its annual attraction Poush Mela in collaboration with Visva-Bharati University aiding in enhancing its popularity among art and fashion connoisseurs from around the world.
Non-profit organisations like that of Self Help Enterprise (SHE), enterprises like Weaver’s Studio in Kolkata and projects like Katna’s Kantha, a part of the Street Survivors Project founded in Murshidabad, West Bengal by Shabnam Ramaswamy aid many women in villages by enterprising the kantha craft as means of livelihood. The latter interestingly incorporates geometric motifs, passed down through generations, in line with Islamic traditions of visual arts, thereby again highlighting the plural ethos of the craft. Furthermore, inspiring figures like Bilkis Rabia of Murshidabad have played significant roles in empowering women to financial independence through the craft. Such endeavours have also been aided by the West Bengal government, through various initiatives like handicrafts fairs and exhibitions.
Conclusion – From the household to global fashion ramps – The Journey:
From the global fashion shows of Burberry Prorsum, the collections of global designers like Tarun Tahliani and Sabyasachi Mukherjee to that of international labels like London based Ssone, Kantha enjoys a prominent presence in incorporative fashion. While considering the significant reach, this should not be taken technically as a sole product of the ‘modern’, contemporary age. We have seen how the domestic embroidered textiles of Bengal were prized export wares to the European markets even in the sixteenth century. This consideration also urges us to acknowledge the historic value of the craft and its revival, and while revelling in the destination, not to forget the roots, the journey itself, and its beginning in the hands of the numerous artists, the women who are working behind each stitch, each weave.
Note- *The image of the Kantha with the naukavilas episode could not be reproduced here in this article. For the same, see “Kantha – The Embroidered Quilts of Bengal – From the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection and the Stella Kramrisch Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art”, ed. Darielle Mason, (Dec 2009-2010), pp.87. https://archive.org/details/kanthaembroidere00unse/page/n9/mode/2up
References:
“Kantha – The Embroidered Quilts of Bengal – From the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection and the Stella Kramrisch Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art”, ed. Darielle Mason, (Dec 2009-2010).
https://archive.org/details/kanthaembroidere00unse/page/n9/mode/2up
Kantha: Women Embroidering Stories of Bengal Across Borders, by Sara Bardhan, Feminism in India, January 7, 2021. https://feminisminindia.com/2021/01/07/kantha-women-embroidering-stories-of-bengal-across-borders/
The stories hidden in the ancient Indian craft of Kantha, by Kalpana Sunder, BBC, 20th October, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20221020-the-stories-hidden-in-the-ancient-indian-craft-of-kantha
Katna’s Kantha, Street Survivors India, ARTISANS’ Centre, November 3rd, 2019. https://artisanscentre.com/blogs/past-exhibitions/katnas-kantha-street-survivors-india