Revitalisation and Revival of Traditional Embroidery (Kantha)

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-535-5_28How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Stitch Kantha; contemporary sewing; Conciseness; evolution; traditional embroidery

Abstract

Stitch Kantha, It is widely practiced by women of the districts of West Bengal and Bihar. From the late 1970s, various culture trusts and individuals took it upon themselves to revive the craft. It has also brought about economic and a social transformation in the lives of the women embroiders in the present times. Many designers have transformed the traditional kantha work into contemporary products. One name that can’t be omitted without mentioning is Shamlu Dudeja, a revolutionary educator of the art who took great strides in the 80s to uplift the artisan groups and broke conventions. Another similar one of these sparks of the art is Sushen Mukherjee. Following years of experimentation and practice, artisans can now accomplish any outfit through combining the ancient Kantha embroidery with contemporary silhouettes. This Research details focuses on the evolution in contemporary times of the Kantha Embroidery. This study explores how the Nakshi Kantha of traditional Bengal can be better integrated into the world using contemporary sewing facilities found in Bengal. Exploring the possibilities of Nakshi transformation; Kantha sewing technology and discovering the differences that can be brought to the Nakshi Kantha and Motifs design; Finding a global marketing strategy, Exploring Nakshi Kantha degrees in a Contemporary way. Patterns of interaction, religion, cultural aspects, and artist-product interaction should be explored, given the environment and other influences on Stitch Kantha. By using mix method including conducting surveys and interviews, the research will reveal that the story of Kantha’s revival shows how traditional Imagery can adapt to modern times while keeping its cultural value alive. By balancing innovation with heritage, Kantha continues to thrive as both an art form and a sustainable craft. Supporting genuine handmade Kantha ensures this centuries-old tradition remains vibrant for future generations.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Aman Singh
AU  - Vandana Dutt
AU  - Bhanu Gola
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/16
TI  - Revitalisation and Revival of Traditional Embroidery (Kantha)
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Creativity, Innovation & Design (ICCID 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 396
EP  - 411
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-535-5_28
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-535-5_28
ID  - Singh2026
ER  -