The kantha motifs are drawn from everyday life and include representations of folk tales, epics, mythological figures, animals, fish, plants, and ceremonial themes. Last year, Mahua Lahiri was the ...

What began with a visit to a crafts mela and three silk saris has, over 37 years, reshaped the trajectory of a simple running ...

Kantha, an old ingenious art form originating in Bengal, is slowly emerging again from the edge of extinction. It is said to be over 1000 years old and has been mentioned in Vedic and pre-Vedic ...

With #vocalforlocal in the buzz these days, it's great to witness the revival of handloom crafts to not only represent Indian craftsmanship on the global platform but also draw support to millions of ...

Nearly 100 years later, the “secret pain” that Bengali poet Jasimuddin wrote of in 1929 is still being stitched into nakshi kantha. This style of hand embroidery, traditionally on old saris, has been ...

A Delhi exhibition examines why a craft’s evolution matters as much as its survival ...

The thousand-year-old upcycling handicraft was traditionally a canvas for ordinary women to tell their stories and express their fears and hopes. Now it's hugely popular again, writes Kalpana Sunder.

At first glance, you may feel like looking at a thrifted jacket or a misfit patchwork dress. Once you look closely, you will see the stitches do not repeat. Instead, the embroidery breaks the pattern.

A single woman’s journey to earn a dignified livelihood has today evolved into a revival of the traditional Kantha embroidery that has led to empowerment of rural women in West Bengal Driven by a ...