Bismillahir Rahmanhir Rahim

Assalamualikum

Greetings to all. Today I am going to write about the traditional Nakshi Kantha of rural Bengal.
Nakshi Kantha is a special type of Kantha made with different designs on the normal Kantha. Nakshi Kantha is a part of the centuries-old culture of Bangladesh.

Nakshi Kantha

Most of the village women are skilled in this art. Usually, village women sew Nakshi Kantha in their spare time. Stitching a kantha takes a long time, even 1 year. Grandfathers sew Nakshi Kantha to give gifts to the new son-in-law or new wife. Behind every Kantha stitch, there is a story of laughter and tears. In the afternoon or after dinner the women sit together to talk and sew a kantha.
So it is said that Nakshi Kantha speaks of one's mind. It is mainly sewn during monsoon. 5 to 7 sarees are required to make a proof-size kantha. Nowadays, cotton wool is used instead of the old material. Lately, the use of old cloth in making kantha has decreased.
Nakshi Kantha is a part of the folk art of India and Bangladesh. Usually, the cloth is stitched by taking the thread from the edge of the old cloth or by buying blue, red, yellow, etc. thread from the weavers. The thread is opened by placing the feet on the floor of the house and holding the edge of the cloth with the toes. This thread is kept for later use.
After the simple Kantha is stitched, different patterns are drawn on it, including flowers, vines, leaves, etc. Nakshi Kantha is produced all over Bangladesh, but Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Faridpur, and Jessore are famous for Nakshi Kantha.

Nakshi Kantha

Tradition:

Kantha, like other folk art, has daily use, weather, environmental and economic influences. Kantha was probably originally a double-clapped cloth. Later, Nakshi Kantha emerged from this.

Construction style:

Rural women make Kanthas by sewing layers of thin cloth, mainly old cloth. Kantha is a classic example of thrift, where multiple old items are combined to create a new essential item. Old sarees, lungis, dhoti, etc. are used for making Kantha. The thickness of the Kantha is increased or decreased as required.

Nakshi Kantha

A kantha is made from three to seven sarees depending on the thickness and the layers are stitched together. The layers of the saree are stitched together in a plain or woven pattern. The Kantha looks colorful as old clothes of different colors are layered. Usually, the kantha is stitched with thread taken from the colored border of the saree and the design of the kantha is made in imitation of the border of the saree. However, in some areas, cloth designs are also done with yarn.
A simple Kantha cloth is stitched with a few layers of cloth, but due to the skill of this weaving, different color designs, colorful waves, and weaving patterns are revealed in it. To suit the design or for a new design, the kantha is shortened or enlarged ie the length of the kantha is varied.

Basically, something is drawn before being designed. Then the drawing is stitched with needle and thread. In Kantha generally, the inner part is designed first and the outer part is designed gradually. Earlier wooden blocks were used to draw some Kantha designs, and now tracing paper is used.
There is a lot of demand for Nakshi Kantha in the country and outside the country.

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