The commercialisation of "Nakshi Kantha"

Published : Saturday, 9 June, 2018 at 12:00 AM Count : 2631

Nakshi Kantha" is the most important household product made by Bengali women. It is one kind of embroidered quilt which protects people from cold. Though it is a very old traditional artistic element of material art but for its unique design and elegance, it is a fascination to the people of Bangladesh and West Bengal till contemporary period.

Kantha is translated into English word "Rags". Because it is made by worn-out saris with a running stitch. Women take some separate saris and stitch them together to make a single entity. During the beginning of making "Kantha" cloth is kept flat on the ground by weight on the edge after that four edges are stitch together. Most of the time upper layer and sometimes lower layer are made up with various embroidered images. For instances flower, leaf-climber, star-moon, masque, miner, temple, chariot, geometric figure, festival, marriage scenery etc. Most of the Kantha have a centre and different images have embroidered around it.

Jessore, Khulna, Faridpur, Jamalpur, Kushtia districts of Bangladesh are known for the production of Nakshi katha from pre-colonial era. In Jessore district various types of Kantha are identified by various research works. For instances Lep kantha, Sujani Kantha, Arshilata, Bostani, Rumal kantha etc. Most of the women from different classes involve themselves to make this quilt for everyday needs and sometimes the gift to beloved person on festive time. The design or image of Kantha is very similar to "Alpona art" which is the ritual drawing made by women for special festivals.

When had Kantha been emerged we cannot identify properly. But there are various religious myths behind it. Chandiadeo, Chirkutwa pir, lingri Pir were worshipped by the 'Rags'. Even the lower Himalayas trees and bridges were tied or hanged by rags for worshipping spirits. Buddhism as a religion also has a special meaning for rags. But there are some geographical and historical reasons behind the emergence of "Nakshi Kantha".

Satish Chandra Mitra discussed, since the Pathan dynasty, Jessore was famous for its cloths production. Due to the cultivation of cotton, people were related to cloth production of this area and from 14th century they used Kantha made by cotton sarees. Some studies showed that, under the patronage of Portuguese traders it has started to export from India to Europe since 1550s. Now the motif and design has been changed for export earnings. Hindu religious design has been replaced by the stories of mythology, hunting scene, shipping etc.

But the artisans who were not related to the export industry, they carried traditional format. Over the period change has been taken place due to the replacement of various rulers from various religions. If we focus on the contemporary image of quilt it has mixture of various religious elements and sometimes secular. Motif or design depends upon artisans. That's why Stella Kramrisch asserts, women are the repository of knowledge and when a Kantha is spread out it unfold the meaning on which life is embroidered.

In the 1960s a progressive woman from Jessore district named Ayesha Sarder has started a sewing school 'Jessore Mahila Shilpa vidyalay samaj kalyan sangstha'. At first he started commercial production of this quilt. Around 500 hundred women artisans were involved with this organization. Due to liberation war, the work was stopped at its pre-mature state.

Since 1980s microcredit programs have rapidly expanded in Bangladesh. If we focus on "Jessore" district, since 1990s different national and international NGOs and microcredit institutions started working. In this period expansion of commercially "Kantha" production expanded in rural areas. Rural women started to involve with this domestic production sector, women entrepreneurs have emerged and especially NGO played a very important role to expansion of this sector.

At the beginning, sole purpose of this sector was production of quilt as its name suggests, but now artisans are making different products like cuisine cover, wall mat etc by intimating the design of Nakshi Kantha. Now tradition has been transformed into commercialisation, design and usage have been changed as well as.

The writer is a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi