Katna’s Kantha is a story of triumph that the world gets to witness only when there is an intersection of faith, beliefs, goals, mission, vision and zeal.
These are special Kantha embroidered pieces from Murshidabad, in geometrics. This special technique is unique to the Muslim women of the region. It entails running stitches covered on the surface with the bakhiya' or back stitch. The designs only feature flowing patterns, unlike Nakshi Kantha ones, hence they do not need to be drawn.
The "Phaansh kantha" work of the Muslim women of the Murshidabad region is done by counting the threads of the woven fabric and creating geometric patterns along with the running stitches that bind the fabric, unlike the nakshi (pictorial) Kantha's embroidered by the Hindu women.
"Katna's Kantha, a Street Survivors India project, is a livelihood generation programme that has taken this traditional and evolved skill of village women to economically empower them. Street Survivors India strives to work with communities in Murshidabad through a holistic approach that recognizes the inseparable linkage between empowerment and livelihood."
Katna’s Kantha, a Street Survivors Project in Murshidabad, West Bengal, was founded by Shabnam Ramaswamy, a social activist, in 2004. Today it employs and empowers 1500 women in 50 villages.
Until today, this combination of thrift and aesthetics is not mass produced as it is very time consuming.
