Kantha textiles are at the center of Bengali daily life. Produced by the rural women of West Bengal, Orissa, and Bangladesh, kantha is both an artistic expression and a sensible innovation. Its survival speaks to the sacred intergenerational relationships between Bengali women, who have passed down kantha knowledge for centuries. 

Kantha, a word believed to be derived from the Sanskrit term for “rag” (kontha), can be traced as far back as 1500 BCE. Today, the word refers to both the style of stitch used, as well as the finished textile. Kantha is of humble beginnings, starting as a utilitarian practice in rural households 

Historically, when textile production was more labor-intensive and expensive than it is today, it was common practice to recycle and reuse textiles whenever possible. Kantha was born out of this innovative practice of stitching together well-worn clothes and rags to create something new and useful. Traditionally, kantha pieces are used for practical needs, such as quilts, blankets to swaddle babies, book covers, or placemats. 

Kantha’s survival was threatened in the early 19th century and again during Partition as conflict broke out in what is now Bangladesh. But successful revival efforts pioneered by relatives of the famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore shined a light on kantha textiles during the 1940s. Kantha became a global phenomenon, as well as a symbol for Bengali culture and heritage.  

Traditionally, kantha is made of soft, worn cotton from old saris, lungis, and dhotis. Five to seven layers of cotton fabric are sewn together using thread salvaged from old garments. The stitching normally covers the whole piece so as to provide extra strength. The original kantha stitch is simple and straight, though there are more complicated variations. Some kantha uses stitching in geometric patterns, such as waves or diamonds. Nakshi kantha refers to a detailed stitch variation that depicts religious motifs, characters from mythology, or the personal and social lives of the artisans. 

It can take months, or even years, to complete one kantha cloth. Sometimes, multiple generations of women from one family all worked on the same kantha piece. Kantha is central to female relationships in these rural villages. Younger women often learn the art of kantha from their mothers, grandmothers, or female elders in their community. 

More recently, kantha has entered the mainstream global market. Its popularity has increased its production, but unfortunately, the quality of the artisans’ livelihoods has suffered as a consequence. Kantha, traditionally practiced in homes, has moved to sweatshops, where the workers are forced to labor under inhumane conditions. The Visva-Bharati Journal of Social Work and Social Development found that the majority of women in these sweatshops were cheated out of payments and lacked training, leaving them socially immobile. Their average annual income was 2,000-4,000 rupees, or $30-$60, which is well below a living wage. 

At Studio Ruyee, we source our kantha quilts from a group of weavers in Phulia, West Bengal called the Karastuti Collective. Each piece is hand-spun and hand-sewn by one of the fifteen women in the collective. The women are paid fair wages for their craftsmanship, and their income is not dependent on sales. They are also given access to sanitation, clean water, public health resources, and education for their children. The women are trained by elders in their community in an effort to keep the essence of the tradition alive, and looms are installed in their village so they don’t have to migrate for work.