KANTHA YATRA -Apoorva Das

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Kantha Yatra APOORVA DAS



Contents 01 Meanings of Kantha 02 The Craft of Kantha 03 History behind Kantha 04 Visuality 05 Types of Kantha 06 Materials 07 Production 08 Speciality of Kantha 09 Others & Kantha 10 Brands Famous for Kantha



Meanings of KANTHA ‘Kantha’ means ‘rags’ in Sanskrit, which reflects the fact that Kantha embroidery is made up of discarded garments or cloths. The word also means ‘throat’ and was named so due its association with the Hindu deity, Lord Shiva. It relates to Shiva’s ‘kantha’ or throat that turned blue when he consumed poison. Interestingly, Kantha textiles often tell a story through their motifs which probably gave them the Hindi name ‘Kantha’ or story. An antique kantha quilt from the 19th century at an exhibition at the Indira Ghandi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi, December 2014, depicting religious chantings and celebration.

The Craft of KANTHA Kantha, an embroidery-based textile originated as a way of recycling old or unused cotton sarees and dhotis, in order to create household items such as quilts, shawls, baby swaddles etc. Kantha embroidery was traditionally done over layers of soft dhotis and saris, using a simple running stitch. Born in the rural homes of Bengal and nearby states, usually six to seven layers of fabrics would be stacked and stitched using Kantha work, producing a new textile. Initailly it was only used for stitching layers together, but over time people began to use the simple running stitch in creative ways to decorate the fabrics through embroidery, giving rise to beautifully patterned textiles. This traditional textile is massly produced in the eastern regions of India, like Bengal, Orissa, parts of Bihar but is especially popular in the district of Murshidabad, West Bengal.





History behind KANTHA The earliest mention of Kantha It was then passed down as can be found in a book dated sentimental pieces and heirlooms. about 500 years ago, titled Sri Sri Besides making quilts, kanthas Chaitanya Charitamrita in which were mostly used for religious the poet Krishnadas Kaviraj writes purposes. This led women to about Chaitanya’s mother sending imagine and explore a myriad Kantha quilts to travelling pilgrims of motifs. The Hindu Kayastha in Puri. The same kantha is today women make figurative, elaborate on display at Gambhira in Puri. and fine embroidery. The Kanthas of Muslim women have less “Aasmann jora fakirre bhai, Jamin jora ketha”. figurative work and more ornate (The friend of the fakirs is the sky, the friend of motifs. the earth is the kantha). The earliest Kanthas discovered -Lyrics of a famous Baul song featured soldiers of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 with their guns and Traditionally a ‘women’s craft’, the protagonists of Mahabharata Kantha was born out of ingenuity. and Ramayana.

VISUALITY Traditional motifs, colours and stitches typical to kantha are prominent aspects of the textile. Today, contemporary variations exist as well. MOTIFS Traditional motifs used in Kantha rosettes, with a number of striped embroidery are elements of nature and chequered ‘petals’ etc. Paisley, like flowers, animals, birds and locally known as Kalka in Bengal celestial bodies. Lotus, Satadala is the most popular motif occuring padma, trees, creepers, human independently as well as in figures, spirals, whirls, stylised birds, mandalas. fish, boats, marine life, mandalas, kalashas, conch shells etc. Motifs when used only for making borders have local names like Chok Portuguese and European influence (eye) Par, Barfi (diamond) Par, Beki soon gave rise to newer motifs (wavy or bent ) Par, Nolok (nose ring) like geometric shapes, paisleys, Taga, Maach (fish) Par, Dheu(wavy) tulips, comb, mirror, bold stylised Par and Gaach (tree) Par.



Sanaih kantha, Sanaih pantha, Sanaih parvata langhanam. (Slowly one stitches together the layers of frayed fabrics, Slowly, does one tread the path, Slowly and steadily one scales the mountain) -Oral Sanskrit shloka COLOURS colour combinations. Kantha is notable for its bright Kantha done on the muted colour palette. Traditionally, colour of tussar silk saris, looks colourful threads were were rich and cheerful. Kantha is pulled from the old sari done in happy and vibrant borders to be reused in the colour palettes of bright reds, decorative stitching. This pinks, blues, blacks, yellows, repurposed the old fabrics oranges, magenta, purple into creative designs. and greens. Initially, motifs were embroidered on simple plain backgrounds. However, with Contemporary colour time, women began stitching explorations include works on bold and bright fabrics in monochrome, minimal like black, red, purple, yellow, colour combinations and orange, and greens. These, many a times, just using a coupled with the threads of straight white running stitch the motifs, resulted into fresh on digitally printed motifs.



STITCHES Over time, the simple kantha has evolved into intricate designs through different arrangement of stitches. The simplest kantha is the running stitch. When it developed into more elabore patterns, it came to be known as ‘Nakshi kantha’. It uses artistic figures and storytelling. Geometric designs using the running stitch came to be known as the ‘Par tola kantha’. Lik or ‘Anarasi kantha’ is practised in northen Bangladesh. It is inspired by the pineapple- like arrangement of the motifs. ‘Lohori kantha’ is a wave-like stitch popular in Rajshahi (Bangladesh). It can be ‘Soja’ (straight or simple) or ‘kautar khupi’ (like a pigeon coop or triangle) or ‘borfi’ (diamond like). ‘Sujni kantha’ is a lesser-known practice, surviving only in Bangladesh and parts of Bihar. The base stitch is straight unlike more organice stitches in the other kanthas. There is heavy symbolism in the motifs. Cross stitch kantha started under the British influence. Clockwise from top left- Simple running stitch, Sujni kantha, Lohori kantha, Nakshi kantha





Types of KANTHA Kantha is traditionally of seven types. Lep- a thick quilt wrap for the Arshilata- a long and narrow body in winters wrap for mirrors or combs featuring motifs like creepers, Sujni- a ceremonial kantha also lotuses and trees used as a bed spread Durjani or Thalia- a wallet cover, Baytan- a square wrap for books, with detailed embroidery, square usually has a wide border of shape kantha is used where animal or human figures, with three sides are folded inside and kalka motifs on the four corners sewn at the junction. A string is and a central concentric- style attached to the fourth corner to lotus motif wrap around the wallet. Oar- a pillow cover with parallel Rumal- a handkerchief, small longitutinal embroidery and extra and square with motifs of madala decorative borders or lotus embroidered Above- Lep kantha, Below- Oar kantha

MATERIALS Kantha, as a textile was made from stacked rags of old cotton saris. The embroidery was then done from the threads of the discarded saris. Now, kantha is embroidered using tussar silk threads. It is also embroidered on cotton and tussar or mulberry silk. Silk kantha work is more time-consuming as the motifs need to be drawn first by hand and then embroidered. Silk also keeps slipping which makes the process labouriois. Usually a small simple scarf takes more than two months to finish. Elaborate bedspreads and saris take much more time. Today, kantha is also used in accents on blockprints and digitally printed garments.





PRODUCTION SKETCHING Apart from simple running stitch designs, intricate designs of kantha are first sketched and then transferred on a tracing paper. It takes one to few days depending on the complexity of the design. PRICKING The design on the tracing paper is pricked into tiny holes along the lines by an artisans. This takes around a day. TRANSFER Tussar silk or cotton fabric is ironed and cut to a desired size. Then it is spread on a large flat table. A white paste of fabric dye and turpentine is prepared which is then rubbed over the paper pattern. The solution seeps through the holes and marks on the fabric. EMBROIDERY Anchor threads for the fabric are decided along with its colour theme. The fabric is given to an artisan who will stich and embroider on the traced pattern. It can take weeks to months to complete this task. WASHING After months of working on the fabric, it needs to be washed properly. This removes all the faint stains and trace lines. Then the fabric is ironed crisply.

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DOUBLE-FACED The original type of kantha stitched is double- sided or ‘dorakha’. That means that the designs occur in dotted lines on both the faces of the textile, making it difficult to identify which side was the embroidery actually done. Indeed, it requires great skill. Speciality of KANTHA STORYTELLING SUSTAINABILITY Thetextileisrichlyembroidered Since Kantha primarily uses with stories from Indian colourful borders of old, cultures. Weddings, religious discarded saris as threads. practices and daily lives of the Using the same piece of people are neatly depicted. textile for multiple purposes by Symbolism is present in the upcycling it through kantha, form of natural elements gives it a new wholeness. giving the message of life, Kantha stitches as well as birth, love, and separation. beautifies the products. It Animals and birds from empowers a large sector of mythological stories are also rural women, who can earn embroidered. by working at home.





Others & KANTHA PURPOSE MOTIFS The main purpose of Kantha Kasuti, Chamba rumals, was to make quilts. Some Picchvais, Kutch embroidery, other textiles of India have as well as woven textiles, like also been created for the Ikat and Paithani employ the sole purpose of being used lotus motif as the main motif. as quilts, like Siddi Kawandi, Similarly, the paisley or kalka from Karnataka. They too has many versions in other have a bright colour palette. textiles. APPEARANCE COLOUR PALETTE Kantha at first glance, Kantha is done in very vibrant looks similar to Chikankari. colours, often on black fabric However, the latter uses just like the Rabari embroidery darning stitch unlike kantha. of Kutch. Centre- Kantha Kalka Clockwise from top left- Paisleys in Katan silk, Kashida, Zardozi and Kutch work

BRANDS Famous for Kantha Designer Neeru Kumar, who is famous for reviving Indian textiles, especially kantha, launched her label ‘Tulsi’. She has also infused modern designs with traditional textiles. In 2015, Burberry used presented Kantha in a collection titled ‘Patchwork, Pattern and Prints’. Weavers Studio, Kolkata run by Darshan Mekani Shah works extensively on Kantha- based products, occasionally using it with other textiles too. Maison Mieko par Amit Kumar is a collaboration between Japanese designer Mieko and entrepreneur of a home textile firm, Amit Kumar, whose mission is to rejuvenate discarded textiles through Kantha. They collect vintage saris, do patchwork and finish with Kantha. Clockwise from top left - Weavers Studio, Tulsi, Burberry, Meiko par Amit Kumar



MOTIFS 1. Geometric Kantha motif inspired by the par tola style Pillar repeat











MOTIFS 2. Traditional Kalasha motif, outlined and filled with stitches in Kantha style Half brick repeat