Purple hues lend a royal edge to this crepe sari with fine stitching, providing a contrast to a white georgette Anarkali, highlighted with purple and turquoise kantha borders on tussore

Kantha revivalist Shamlu Dudeja, founder of Self Help Enterprise (SHE) which works on women’s empowerment and livelihood through revival of kantha art, is taking an exhibition of this traditional Bengali embroidery work to Chennai. The exhibition, Kantha as Stitch Art, will be held from September 27 to October 1 at ITC Grand Chola in Chennai. Governor M.K. Narayanan, also the chief patron of SHE, will inaugurate the display.

“Chennai is a traditional city and kantha stitch is also very traditional. These straight stitches, inspired by the tailor bird, were used by Buddhist bhikkhus who made their robes out of tattered cloth. It survived through centuries and was used for quilts in Bengal. Now we try to hold on to this tradition of stitching through decorative art, saris and accessories like scarves and stoles, which find great favour among the younger generation. South India has been rich in its use of fabrics but has had very little tradition of embroidery. We hope the people in Chennai appreciate this exhibition,” said Shamlu.

Here are a few of the exhibits...

The piece Panch Durga depicts the five avatars of Durga — Shailaputri, Chandraghata, Dashabhuja, Katyani and Mahagouri