India Week with Brinda Gill - Katna’s Kantha: Preserving a Tradition and Transforming Lives

Kantha—the Bengali term for layered, hand-embroidered, quilted covers—has long been a craft practiced by women in the state of West Bengal, East India. Traditionally, these quilts were made from old saris, with each generation passing down the technique and motifs. Various regions of West Bengal feature distinct motifs and patterns on their kantha's.

The process of making a kantha involves layering well-worn fabrics and smoothing them out before beginning the quilting. The stitches are created with yarns taken from the same fabrics. The motifs and patterns, as well as the overall composition, reflect both traditional designs passed down through generations and the personal expressions of the women creating them, inspired by life around them. Quilting often takes place during women’s leisure hours, often in the company of other women, fostering a sense of community.

Kantha quilts are soft to the touch, visually striking, and deeply sentimental. Traditionally, they have been used to wrap babies, given as wedding gifts, worn by husbands as shawls, or presented to close family members as symbols of affection. In this way, kantha has always been a deeply personal textile, steeped in the values of recycling, creativity, and community.

Shabnam Ramaswamy, a social worker, was born in Katna village in Murshidabad District, West Bengal, and saw the potential of kantha to offer women a livelihood. In 2004, she founded Katna’s Kantha to involve women in making kantha for sale. It was a new experience for the women, as they began creating kanthas with new fabrics and for commercial purposes, rather than for family use. However, as their work was appreciated and their incomes improved their standard of living, the women began to create more vibrant, intricate designs, bringing the traditional craft to life with neat, dense stitches.

The women of Katna have traditionally specialised in nakshi kantha, a form of kantha known for its geometric, symmetrical, and precise patterns. The word “nakshi” comes from the Persian naksh, meaning "pattern." The population in this region is predominantly Muslim, and as a result, the craft avoids human and animal forms in its designs, in accordance with religious beliefs. Nakshi kantha is characterised by counted stitches worked directly on the fabric, with no need for drawn guides.

Using the basic running stitch, the artisans of Katna’s Kantha create geometric patterns such as stars, waves, bamboo leaves, and earrings. Their informal repertoire of around 200 motifs is continually adapted and evolved. The range of products includes stoles, shawls, dupattas, bedcovers, cushion covers, upholstery fabric, curtains, table linen, kitchen towels, hand towels, bath towels, washable art books, and quilts. They work with various materials, including cotton (often handwoven from hand-spun yarns) and silk, and also up-cycle old printed and woven textiles.

Over the past twenty years, Katna’s Kantha has grown significantly, establishing its presence in stores across cities and at craft exhibitions. The project now works with around 1,800 women in villages around Katna, with about 1,200 of them actively involved at any given time. Some artisans take breaks to manage family commitments or engage in agricultural work.

It has been a long and challenging journey for Shabnam, but she is proud of how Katna’s Kantha has successfully brought nakshi kantha—a craft once confined to the domestic sphere—into the global spotlight. She is gratified by the wonderful response their work has received, which has helped nurture the craft, transform lives, support a school, and fund other community development programs.

Contact: katna.kantha@gmail.com

Images Copyright: Katna’s Kantha/Kaushik Ramaswamy/Saffron Marigold
Stylist: Togori/Naima