Women in Bengal have been traditionally making Kantha for personal use. Over the years, Kantha embroidery has transcended from being a leisurely pursuit to a potential livelihood channel. Contact Base has been working with around 1000 women skilled in Kantha embroidery in Nanoor block of Birbhum and Ausgram block of Purba Bardhaman to leverage their traditional skills and develop grassroots creative enterprise.
The Department of MSME&T supported capacity building and market linkage for women clusters at Nanoor between 2011-2019 while work at Ausgram started in 2022. The German Consulate at Kolkata supported development of a facility center for women at Ausgram in 2023 while the Axis Bank Foundation supported procurement of sewing machines, training in stitching and tailoring, development of product ranges aligned with contemporary youth fashion and home furnishing trends.
The women, who mostly catered to orders given by the middlemen on wage labour basis, are now enjoying direct market access through market knowledge and linkage. They have been successful in overcoming barriers and are now travelling far and wide, both within and outside India, to showcase and promote their creative offerings. Regular interactions with contemporary designers, buyers have helped them in understanding market needs.
The artists are tailoring innovative apparel aligned to contemporary fashion. The journey of Kantha artists speaks of their transition from wage labourers to creative entrepreneurs. Through their creative entrepreneurship, the women are changing social parameters like ensuring their daughter’s education, better home, sanitation and improved quality of living. To take their creative enterprises to new heights through formation of collectives, the artists ofAusgram have come together to form a brand named Peol, a name inspired from nature. The brand showcases the creativity and entrepreneurship of Ausgram’s women in driving grassroot transformation.
The first exhibition of Peol was held at SrijoniShilpagram in Santiniketan where buyers appreciated the new range of innovative products made by the artists. With digital and communication skill enhancement, the artists are now proficient in order management. Nanoor and Ausgrama re now vibrant Kantha hubs frequently visited by buyers and tourists. Apart from running their own creative enterprises, these women artists are also getting prestigious awards and accolades and gradually evolving to be role models in their own locality, inspiring and driving grassroot development.
