SHE Kantha’s special collection of 75 revival kantha pieces was exhibited last month at ‘Resplendent Revival: Kantha’s Cultural Odyssey’, organised by WelcomArt and SHE Kantha, at ITC Royal Bengal. SHE (Self Help Enterprise) Kantha has for 35 years spearheaded the revival of this stitch from Bengal, a rich cultural heritage, to empower rural artisans and bring kantha to a global platform. Behind this initiative is mother-daughter duo Shamlu Dudeja and Malika Varma’s hard work and passion. Under their leadership, it has evolved from being a cottage industry to a celebrated artform, finding place in the top ranges of haute couture, haute decor and stitch portraiture.
Considering the lingering celebrations of 75 years of Indian Independence, 75 masterpieces by SHE Kantha were presented to the ministry of culture, representing a blend of traditional craftsmanship and heritage. Malika Varma and Gouri Basu, advisor to the ministry of culture, Government of India, expounded on the extremely intricate work behind the pieces, the hours of labour, the love and dedication that goes into making it. The evening concluded with a lamp-lighting ceremony. Snapshots.
Both these panels depict The Tree of Life that signify prosperity, nourishment, sustenance and protection. These pieces are recreated from old designs, one with a mandala art motif in the centre and the other interspersed with animals, symbolising abundance and prosperity.
(Top left) The central panel is a masterpiece depicting village life in rural Bengal and has been created keeping the historical storytelling art of nakshi kantha in mind. Here, artisans have turned artists, drawing inspirations from their immediate surroundings. It’s their world through their eyes. The narrative involves village scenes with daily activities of villagers in and around their huts. The two pieces on the sides are once again recreations of old-style kantha with one of them emphasising the age-old guri run, or quilting style of the running stitch, surrounding the folk motifs of Bengal.
(Bottom left) This unique piece was commissioned by the ministry of culture, Government of India for the G20 Summit in Varanasi. The Kashi Temple and the ghats of Varanasi have been created in batik and very intricate kantha. It was displayed at the 2023 Cultural Ministers’ Meet at G20 Summit in Varanasi.
(Right) The beautiful Durga created years ago remains a favourite creation of the SHE artisans, embodying stree shakti or women empowerment.
(Left) A highlight of the evening was the felicitation of two women by founder Shamlu Dudeja. It was a tribute to the thousands of hands that have gonebehind this exquisitedisplay. In their address, the artisans talked about their journey with SHE Kantha and pride in seeing how it has facilitated the rise in the status of the humble stitch to a global phenomenon.
(Right picture) (L-R) Malika Varma, Gouri Basu and Saumya Varma, Malika’s daughter. “This exhibition is a tribute to my city, Calcutta, and its rich cultural heritage and to all the 1,000 artisans of SHE Kantha. It took us two years to curate this exhibition and it is an expression of love. Our best artisans have come together to create these masterpieces over this period of time. We have taken inspiration from old archives and age-old kantha pieces. Seventy five pieces were created celebrating 75 years of India’s freedom as Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. ITC has always been a champion of our cause and this is yet another beautiful collaboration,” said Malika. Basu, advisor to the ministry of culture, Government of India, said: “These kanthas have been created with inspiration from various ancient pieces found in museums and certain private collections. Kanthastarted off as a quiltmaking cottage industry and this kind of revival has never been done before. Improvements have happened but nobody tried to revive the old designs.”
“SHE Kantha is synonymous with the art of fine kantha from rural Bengal, and ITC Royal Bengal, in embodying the timeless essence of Bengal, is deeply committed to providing one-of-a-kind experiences, paying tribute to the intellectual prosperity of the state, celebrating the intrinsic flavour of the region, in keeping with ITC Hotels’ ethos of responsible luxury,” said Gaurav Soneja, general manager, ITC Royal Bengal.
(From left) Koneenica Banerjee, Priti Patel, Jaya Seal Ghosh and Alokananda Roy.
“Kantha has always been my favourite. It is something which is an integral part of Bengal and representing it on a global stage is very commendable,” said actress Koneenica Banerjee.
“Shamludi started the revival and Malika has taken it to a different level altogether. I have never seen a kantha with a 3D effect which they have created here,” said danseuse Alokananda Roy.
(From left) Abhilasha Sethia, Rupali Basu, Sudarshan Chakravorty and Tanusree Shankar.
“I wear only SHE Kantha because of the simple reason that I know where it comes from. One of the most memorable moments is when I wore a kantha ashta-sokhi sari at Ascot in the UK,” said Rupali Basu, director and CEO, Woodlands Hospital.
“What SHE Kantha is doing is something phenomenal. The kind of work they are doing and the way they are taking care of the artisans is inspirational,” said danseuse Tanusree Shankar.
(L-R) Russian consul general Alexey M. Idamkin and Jawhar Sircar; US consul general Melinda Pavek and Nayantara Pal Chowdhury with Gouri Basu
“It has been a wonderful celebration today and seeing the individual 75 pieces of kantha is really amazing,” said US consul general Melinda Pavek.
