www.Jasimuddin.org

QUILT   (KANTHA)  ART  OF  BENGAL

suraya

CONTENT
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2.Bengal Katha
  • 3. Embroidered Quilt - "Nakshi Katha or Kantha"
  • 4. Jasim Uddin on Quilt - "Nakshi Katha or Kantha"
  • 5. The Field of the Embroidered Quilt





  • Please View Sponsored Advertisements to Support this Site and Project

    1. Introduction

    There is no denying the fact that, the oldest inhabitants of Bangladesh known as Australoid, then the Dravidians, Aryans and the Muslim made chequered history of this region and the kanthas found a unique character as a multireligious products and also a multiracial expression.

    Mass Islamization occurred under the Mughals and followed by British Colonization

    The name nakshi kantha became particularly popular among literate people after the publicaton of jasimuddin's poem (ballet) Naksi Kanthar Math (1929).

    nakshi katha by surayanakshi katha by suraya
     

    jasim uddin"Many years ago I collected different types of quilts, dolls ,  'Patachitra' 'scroll painting'  , Pat Patua,  Gazir Pat  - scrool pictures of Gazi,  Monosa  , pupet, alpana etc from different villages of Bengal. Friends advised me to make an ehibition. Gaba da displayed the items beautifully at the roof of Rabinra Nath Tagore. Rabinranath Tagore carefully observed all the items and Abinranath Tagore was overwhelmed with the exhibition. Rabinranath Tagore said that I want to keep an exhibition of folk culture at Santiniketan. My collection began to increase day by day and I did have any space to keep the collection. I asked again Rabinranath Tagore to receive the collection for Santiniketan. He said he would ask Nandolal Basu to collect the items. But Nandolal Basu did not show any interest!

    Rabinra Nath Tagores comments on folk culture and painting was published in the news papers. I have made several exhibitions at Calcutta University (Department of Archeaology), Institute Hall. During summer vaction I left the collection in a box at Azinra Nath Tagore's house but when I came back from Faridpur, my box was no more there (1932). Today I still remember those unforgteable treasures of bengali folk culture(Jasim Uddin, Thakur Barir Anginay At Tagores Premise, 1963)

    The indigenous figurative traditions of quiltmaking have maintained their originality and inherent symbolism throughout the centuries, despite recurrent invasion and imperialism. In an analysis, various symbols used in quiltmaking can be traced back to the Harappan Civilization. This is a testimony to the power and strength of these archetypal motifs and how quiltmaking across the sub-continent has always remained vital and diverse.

    The quilts produced in Bengal at that time were technically and artistically indicative of the refined skill and artistic sophistication the colonist discovered upon their arrival. So much so, that the colonists appropriated these skills to create a wealth of European exports. It is amidst this background of an ever-shifting political landscape that Indian quiltmakers have continued to reflect the splendor of India’s artistic textile heritage.

    Kantha embroidery was done by village women on soft, discarded dhotis and saris. Layers of old white dhotis or white or faded saris were held together and stitched with running stitches along the edges using thread drawn out of the faded borders of the saris. The borders were torn and kept aside especially for this purpose. If the kantha was a quilt then five to six layers of soft fine cloth were used. For other purposes three or four layers were used. The top and bottom layers of a kantha are always white or of a very light colour so that the embroidery is visible.

    The stitches are patterned running stitches which cover the entire surface of the piece. The layers are held by the stitches and the surface gets a delicate, rippled look. The designs are never repeated. Traditionally kanthas were never meant for sale --- they were either gifts or else made for personal use.

    The almost contiguous geographical position of Faridpur, Jessore, Khulna have had their own folk art evolution evolution through time space-factors.
    Once centres of Hindu culture these regions, during the post 12th century came under the influence of Vaisnavism and Sifism making rapid changes in all folk art expressiond.

    It was through the teaching of Sufis that Islam found entrance to Hindu hearts. They learned to respect each other's faith anf life (J. N. Farquhar).

    Nakshi Kantha

    Tradition of a few Thousand Years. This is another noteworthy part of Bangladeshi culture. Nakshi Kantha (embroidered quilt), said to be indigenous to Bangladesh, is made from old cotton clothes, predominantly discarded sari, dhoti and lungi.

    Kanthas range from utilitarian quilts to exquisitely embroidered heirlooms. Depending on the thickness required, three to seven saris are layered and quilted with the simple running stitch, which typically produces a rippled effect. Thread drawn from coloured sari borders would be used to embroider motifs or border patterns imitative of sari borders. The term nakshi kantha, popularly used in Bangladesh, is found even in medieval literature. The name nakshi kantha became particularly popular among literate people after the publication poet of Jasimuddin's poem Naskhi Kanthar Math (Field of Embroidered Quilt) (1929).

    From time immemorial there has been a tradition of Bangladeshi women recycling worn-out cotton saris by converting them into usable and durable quilts, bags, book covers, mirror cases and such articles.

    Both the Hindu and Muslim women are adept at making Kantha textiles. These nakshi kanthas are made during their leisure, particularly during the rainy season or before winter invades the villages of the Ganges delta. Kanthas serve primarily as pallets and light wraps. Small kanthas are used as swaddling clothes for babies. Depending on their size and use, kanthas range from lep kanthas (winter quilts) and sujni kanthas (spreads and coverlets) to one-foot square rumal (handkerchief) kanthas. Others include the asan (a spread for sitting), the bastani or gatri (a wrapper for clothes and other valuables), the arshilata (a wrap for mirrors or toilet articles), the dastarkhan (a spread for placing food and plates for dining), the gilaf (an envelope-shaped kantha to cover the quran), and jainamaz (prayer rug).

    The motifs of the Nakshi Kantha depict Hindu festivals, folk festivals, marriage ceremonies, the lotus, Lord Buddha s footprint, fishes, snakes, boats, horses, carts, flowers, elephants, umbrellas, Rathajatra (Procession of Chariots), Jhulanjatra (Swing festival of Krishna and Radha), Swastika (symbolizing the early Indus valley civilization), trees, wheels, etc. Muslim women especially concentrate on geometric and floral motifs, the crescent, star, domes, minarets, verses of the holy Quran and the like. Expectant mothers spend the last trimester of their pregnancy in making Nakshi Kantha for the new-born baby, believing that wrapping the newborn baby in a Nakshi Kantha herald’s good fortune for the family and protects the baby from disease.

    A large number of kanthas show the ingenious use of the running stitch for working motifs and border patterns. The Chatai Nakshi Kantha stitches are found in some places of Jessore, Kushtia, Pabna, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Mymensingh. Other types of kanthas include the pad tola kantha, which is embroidered entirely with sari border patterns, and the lohori kantha, in which thick yarn is used for close pattern darning. In the most intricate of pad tola kanthas, there is no space between the concentric border patterns, so that the entire kantha seems apparently to be a piece of woven cloth. One can never find two identical Nakshi Kanthas on this planet. Since the emergence of Bangladesh in 1971 Nakshi Kantha has regained its aesthetic appeal (Independent, March 28, 2008).

    quilt by suraya

    nakshi katahar math by jasim uddin, cover: Zainul AbedinNakshi Kantha embroidered quilt said to be indigenous to Bangladesh. The term nakshi kantha, popularly used in Bangladesh, is found even in medieval literature. The name nakshi kantha became particularly popular among literate people after the publicaton of jasimuddin's poem Naksi Kanthar Math (1929).

    If ever there was a true sorority in the world of ideas, it must have been in the field of quilt making. Women, all over the world, took up the responsibility of providing everybody with the warmth against the cold, harsh winter. True, over time, some men joined into foray, but their numbers were never very significant. Hence, Niaz Zaman, in her book, " The Art of Kantha Embroidery," stated that kantha making is an "women's art".

    The art of Kantha or embroidered quilt has been flourishing in rural Bengal for centuries. Its exquisite beauty was brought to the notice of city-dwellers, and to some extent, to the outside world. Dr. Sila Basak has now produced a commendable work on the Kantha art of Bengal, the result of extensive research, painstaking field-work, introspective analysis and collection of materials from far and near. She starts with a brief history of needlework in the world and its practice in India from an early date. She dwells upon the large social content of the Kantha that genuinely reflects the world of the Bengali woman. A careful analysis further brings out the reflections of folk beliefs and practices, of religious ideas, of themes and characters from mythologies and epics, of flora and fauna, and finally of man and nature. The Kantha, it its own way, depict the social and personal life of the people

    Bengal kantha making is a little different from other quilting artistry. The material is different, so is the stitching method. From a very long time, Bengal cotton and silk have been known in the world market for its finesse and quality. Bengal "muslin" was an item of export even at Perecles's time. When such beautiful creations were worn and old, Bengal women did not see any reason to throw them away. Beautiful sari borders (the everyday dress of Bengali women)were preserved , the soft dhotis (men's clothes) were placed layer upon layer and stitched encased in sari borders. Thus started the first recycling art of the world. The stitching patterns of Bengal kanthas are simple, but it can be very intricate depending on the inclination of the kantha maker.



    Bengal kantha makers reflect their traditions in choosing their designs. The Hindu kantha makers would tend to choose from religious motifs, like gods and goddesses, the "alpanas" representing lotus flower, conch shells, various birds and beast like peacock, parrots, elephants, lion, tiger, whereas the Muslim women are usually restricted to geometrical designs and plants and flowers. Within that restriction, they are able to create wonderful artifacts in "jainamaz kantha," "dastarkhan," or "gilaf embroidery."

    In Bengal, kanthas were originally used as baby's diapers, or wrappers. At present day, due to the high cost of hand crafted materials, kantha making for the baby's diaper is not cost effective at all. However, in the early seventies, there had been a revival in kantha art in both the Bengals. Sreelata Sirkar derived inspiration from Pratima Devi of Santiniketan and started designing kanthas for team work. Thus, she not only revived a dying art, but also made room for a great economic activity for West Bengal women. In Bangladesh, the search for a national identity led to a great kantha revival, where the Muslim women artists broke the earlier taboo of not representing human and animal figures in kantha. Now the Bangladeshi artists design fantastic tapestries, one like "Naksi kanthar math" after the narration of the poet Jasim Uddin. Now both the Bengals have perfected the art of kantha making with infusions of new materials, concept in design, and various stitcheries, and it can be safely said that these days, it is as popular as woven designs in saris, dresses and upholsteries.
    eminiscence in <i>Saraner sharani bahi</i> (Calcutta, 1976). Jasimuddin writes:

    Back to Content

    2. Bengal Katha



    The earliest mention of Bengal Kantha is found in the book, "Sri Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita" by Krishnadas Kaviraj which was written some five hundred years back. There the poet says, Sachi, the mother of Chaitanya, sent a homemade kantha to her son at Puri through some pilgrims. The same kantha still can be viewed in Gambhira, at Puri, displayed in a glass case. The second earliest reference is in Zaman's book about the famous artist Abanindranath Tagore, who seemed to have encountered a woman in a village in a district of Srihatta of Bangladesh, who recorded her life story in her kantha spanning a period starting from her marriage to old age. However, the present revival of kantha art has drawn the ire of some pundits who think that kantha art can be meaningful only when plied at the privacy of a home, by a single person. If the art is brought out into a factory and embroidered as team work, the soul of kantha gets lost! Anyway, such criticism has not been able to minimize the present spirit of teamwork effort which has uplifted homely kantha into a beautiful artifact besides engendering much sought economic well being. The only argument that can be made here, may be, that a real kantha is able to narrate a story, and is much more compact in design and it is made out of used materials. On the other hand, such kanthas may pass as art works, but its market value is difficult to determine. Kanthas which are made for the commercial purposes, out of new materials and by the trained artists have very well defined price range depending on the material used, the execution of the design and the total labor hour devoted in making it.

    One who wants to practice the art of kantha making in the U.S.A. may face certain difficulties. There is a dearth of used materials like sari borders, used dhotis, cotton and silk saris. Kantha makers can use all new materials to create beautiful tapestries, but it would not be the same. The time consuming work of pointillism is another obstacle the kantha maker has tackle in this fast paced life of America, where outside help for daily household work is very expensive and hence almost nonexistent. In spite of all these obstacles, kantha making is very rewarding. The concentration and contemplation that is required in building the harmony in color, design and execution is akin to the spiritual exercises. The kantha maker has to put all her energies into a single basket of mind and execute the design. At the end the kantha means more to the maker than to the viewer. Hence it is a lonely art and is totally bound by the whims of the artist. The second difficulty is the absence of a guild of Bengal kantha makers in the U.S.A. The present author hopes that there would be a time when the Bengal kantha makers would join the American quilt makers in formulating new designs and create new specimen of static beauty which would be joy for ever.

    This is an extraordinary book. It sold more than half a million copies before independence. All the maps are pre-independence (before 1947).This book would make every Indian proud!


    Our India by Minoo Masani, Illustrated by C. H. G. Morehouse

    The verses on pages 54, 62 and 67 have been quoted from Shamrao and Elwin's Songs of the Forest, Ilin's Moscow Has a Plan, and Mrs. E. M. Milford's translation of Jasim Uddin's - The Field of the Embroidered Quilt.

    Don't you like this song of the village maidens from a Bengali poem by Jasim Uddin? It is a rather beautiful poem about the love of a peasant boy and a village girl and it makes the simple village folk come to life before us. And, as this song tells us, one of their main anxieties is to get rain. Sometimes village folk meet and hold prayers for rain to come. This utter dependence on the rainfall is some thing peculiar to India. It dominates the life of our people in a way that people in most countries find difficult to understand. But all peasants know how important rain is.

    'Black Cloud, come down, come down;
    Flower-bearing Cloud, come down, come;
    Cloud like cotton, Cloud like dust,
    O let your sweat pour down!
    Blind Cloud, Blind Cloud, come,
    Let your twelve Brother Cloudlets come,
    Drop a little water that we
    May eat good rice.

    Straight Cloud, Strong Cloud, come,
    Lazy Cloud, Little Cloud, come,
    I will sell the jewel in my nose and buy
    An umbrella for your head!
    Soft Rain, gently fall,
    In the house the plough neglected lies,
    In the burning sun the farmer dies,
    O Rain with laughing-face, come!'

    That is why at the end of the last chapter we said that manuring the land would lead to a crop three times as big as it yielded otherwise, if there was a good monsoon. We have seen what a great part the monsoon plays in providing our land with water, without which little would grow on it. That part is played in two ways: first, by the rain which falls through- out the country, and secondly, by adding to the how of the rivers that come down from the mountains and flow through the plains (Our India, Manjari Mohanty.

    Back to Content

    3. Embroidered Quilt - "Nakshi Katha or Kantha"

    nakshi

    The current popularity of kantha across the country, and now abroad too, as a fashion statement has a very humble beginning, like many Bengali crafts. Kantha, in Bengali, literally means a quilt. Bengali women made quilts from old saris, folding them into layers and using itinerant running stitches with threads picked from the sari borders. It is warm as a wrap and soft for babies too. Rural women gave free rein to their imagination in colourful designs or flowers they saw, the pond they went to bathe in, or the conch shell they blew in the evening. From an ordinary stitch it morphed into the beautiful nakshi kantha, a connoisseur’s delight. The popularity of kantha has meant economic independence and empowerment to hundreds of poor Bengali women.

    The most famous folk craft form is Nakshi Katha or embroidered quilt. Traditionally, village women used to stich layers of old sari together with folk designs in red blue, yellow and green. These followed a particular form and style. Around these motifs fine white stiching created a ripple effects to bind the separate layers. There is a variety of stiches and design but there is a unity in the traditional arrrangement of a ;padma lotus in the centre or mandap, a tree of life in each corner, kalkas, mythical figures, animals, birds, geometrical objects, symbols of the sun and moon, the;swastika;, each representing a part of the village women's cultural conscience and the whole relating story.

    The story of Nakshi Kantar Math itself spread out in front of us like a beautiful quilt. One can almost see the fields, the young girls, villagers and the still night.

    nakshi katha by suraya







    The day draws to an end, swimming in the red blood of sunset,
    All the day's playfulness wrapped in the corner of the black sari of the Queen of Night,
    And the darkness of night falls on all the paths in the mind of Shaju.
    Night comes and rubs salt into all the wounds of her heart.
    Laying a mat on the floor, and spreading out her embroidered quilt.

    Shaju sat sewing, with her head bent over a little.
    She hears the crackle of leaves on the path,
    She pricks her ears to listen.
    He whom she awaits comes not, it is mistake.
    Yet the leaves make no sound for a little she is unhappy.
    Taking the lamp in her hand, she opens the door and
    looks out again and again.
    Yet he does not come.
    If only she had wings, today she would fly to her love.
    The quilt is embroidered with many patterns,
    She has drawn a picture of their wedding ; she has drawn the home of Rupa.

    Again she looks out.
    Someone is hurrying towards her.
    Rupa indeed is coming. She opens the door wide.
    'Ah, you have come after such a long time.
    I have been pining for you, thinking of you all the time.
    D0 not go away any more to fight.
    Those whom you kill have also dear wives and some have children at home.
    Rupa burst into tears and said, , Dear wife, everything is done for.
    No longer will you hear the sund of Rupa's flute in the night.
    When I was breaking heads in the fight today
    I did not realize that I was destroying the wifely mark on your forehead
    at the same time.
    Ihave bathed in blood today,
    The river has overflowed with blood.
    If only I had known that the river would carry away my treasured
    flowers as well!
    If only I had known that it would carry away my treasured hoard of gold!
    Alas, alas, sweet! I cannot say what I would have done then.

    Weeping, his wife says,
    "Tell me what has happened. Where have you been hurt?
    Let me see! Where is your wound ! Is it very painful ?"
    "Painful is my wound, my sweet, but not in my body.
    I have tom your sari, broken your bangles,
    Broken your anklets, broken the necklace round your throat.
    Today you and I meet for the last time.
    No more the flute will play. Today I killed many enemies.
    See, even my cloth is stained with blood.
    The police are after me .
    If they can find me they will arrest me at once.
    In all directions my companions have fled.
    I have come to have my last words with you.
    I do not mind about myself; but in the strong wind the tree falls,
    and what will become
    Of the tender creeper?
    What of the forest f1ower when the branch is cut down?
    When this branch falls then all your happiness too will be gone.
    If only my mother had been here, she and you would have spent
    the night weeping and thinking of me.
    Had labrother he would have protected his brother's wife and shared
    your pain.
    I must go, I care not, this is my fate.
    But I have to write my fate on your forehead as weil."
    Shaju weeps and says,
    "Beloved, you will leave me. My heart may break,
    But how shall I hide my beauty unprotected?
    If you leave me, the village folk will see it, and how shall I preserve
    your garland of ftowers?"
    Rupa replies, "He who forsakes not the poor and the suffering,
    In His hand I place you today,
    He who can bind the elephant with a spider's web, and makes the
    stone float on the water,
    At His feet I place you."

    At that moment the cock crew in the yard,
    Rupa cries, "Beloved, let me go, let me go !
    The night is almost gone." Step by step he moved a short distance.

    Shaju cries, "My husband, have you nothing more to say to me?
    I shall be waiting long nights, long years in pain.

    (From Field of the Embroidered Quilt by Jasim Uddin)

    Back to Content

    4.Jasim Uddin on Quilt - "Nakshi Katha or Kantha"

    Jasim Uddin writes (Essays of Jasim Uddin, Part II, Palash Publication, 2001):

    QUILT (KANTHA) ART OF BENGAL

    If ever there was a true sorority in the world of ideas, it must have been in the field of quilt making. Women, all over the world, took up the responsibility of providing everybody with the warmth against the cold, harsh winter. True, over time, some men joined into foray, but their numbers were never very significant. Hence, Niaz Zaman, in her book, " The Art of Kantha Embroidery," stated that kantha making is an "women's art".

    Bengal kantha making is a little different from other quilting artistry. The material is different, so is the stitching method. From a very long time, Bengal cotton and silk have been known in the world market for its finesse and quality. Bengal "muslin" was an item of export even at Perecles's time. When such beautiful creations were worn and old, Bengal women did not see any reason to throw them away. Beautiful sari borders (the everyday dress of Bengali women)were preserved , the soft dhotis (men's clothes) were placed layer upon layer and stitched encased in sari borders. Thus started the first recycling art of the world. The stitching patterns of Bengal kanthas are simple, but it can be very intricate depending on the inclination of the kantha maker.

    Bengal kantha makers reflect their traditions in choosing their designs. The Hindu kantha makers would tend to choose from religious motifs, like gods and goddesses, the "alpanas" representing lotus flower, conch shells, various birds and beast like peacock, parrots, elephants, lion, tiger, whereas the Muslim women are usually restricted to geometrical designs and plants and flowers. Within that restriction, they are able to create wonderful artifacts in "jainamaz kantha," "dastarkhan," or "gilaf embroidery."

    nakshi katha by surayaThe earliest mention of Bengal Kantha is found in the book, "Sri Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita" by Krishnadas Kaviraj which was written some five hundred years back. The second earliest reference is in Zaman's book about the famous artist Abanindranath Tagore, who seemed to have encountered a woman in a village in a district of Srihatta of Bangladesh, who recorded her life story in her kantha spanning a period starting from her marriage to old age (Niaz Zaman, The Art of Kantha Embroidery, Dhaka, The University Press and Kaviraj Krisnadas, Sri Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Calcutta, Dev Sahitya Kutir).

    Still in the remote villages of Bangladesh the expectant mothers own their last trimester of the pregnancy by making Nakshikantha for the new-born baby believing that wraping the newborn baby by Nakshikantha heralds fortune to the family and protects the baby from inflicting disease. Like Russian woodendolls Matriushka, one can never find two similar Nakshikanthas in this planet. Sri Chaitanya(1485-1533), the hindu krishna- cult prophet and reformist draped him often with Nakshikantha .

    Since the emergence of Bangladesh 1971 has Nakshikantha regained its esthetical values. 1990 at the Edinburgh Folk Festival for the Commonwealth Countries drew Nakshikantha the best attention by winning a prestigious prize. Among the priceless art collections of Queen Elisabeth-II, ex- President Bush, Pope Johannes Paulus, Robert MacNamara and late President Mitterand all of them has a common possession that is a piece of Nakshikantha .


    Spreading the embroidered quilt
    She works the livelong night,
    As if the quilt her poet were
    Of her bereaved plight.
    Many a joy and many a sorrow
    Is written on its breast;
    The story of Rupa's life is there,
    Line by line expressed.

    She is a daughter beloved at home
    When the embroidery begins;
    Later a husband sits at her side;
    Her red lips hum as she sings.
    The self-same quit today she opens,
    But those days ne'er return;
    Those golden dreams of joy have vanished,
    To ashes grey they burn.
    Stitch by stitch she carefully draws
    The last scene of pain,
    The farewell of Rupa, slowly going,
    Then truning a littles again,
    At the door his peasant wife
    Standing dishevelled, gazing at him,
    Who is going to leave her for life.
    She wept upon the careful stitches,
    That last scene shown so weil.
    Her face turned pale as ashes
    Down in the quilt she fell.
    In this way many days have passed,
    Carrying unberable pain;
    At last came the tempest that smote the trees;
    Her body broke with strain...

    (Shaju tells her mother)
    Wipe your eyes and listen to me mother),
    On the floor my quilt outspread,
    Propped on pillows, let me hold once more
    The needle and the thread.
    The pale hand take the needle,
    And stitch by stitch she works;
    Contemplating the design completed,
    Wiping the tear that lurks.
    She has drawn her tomb upon the quilt,
    A shepherd stands beside;

    Dark night there sits like one bereaved
    From the grave a little aside,
    Playing a flute,. while the ceaseless tears,
    Are falling from his eyes.
    She draws according to her fancy,
    She looks and looking cries.
    Weary and calling her mother, she says,
    This quilt on my grave shall be spread;
    The morning dew will weep on its breast
    When I am dead.
    And here if he ever returns again
    His tears may break the sleep of death,
    I may rise at night from the ground,
    How will he bear this pain, mother,
    On this quilt lies all of mine;
    All my pain and ·all my grief,
    Emroidered line by line.
    So lay it on my grave, mother,
    This picture of my grief,
    That his and mine upon its breast,
    May mingling find relief.

    From Field of the Embroidered Quilt by Jasim Uddin



    The fishes find the deep sea,
    The birds the branches of the tree.
    The Mother knows her love for her son
    By the sharp pain in her heart alone
    Many and diverse the colour of the cows,
    But white the colour that all milk shows.
    Through all the world, a Mother's name-
    A Mother's song is found the same.
    (Jasim Uddin

    Black is the pupil of my eye,
    Black ink with which I write
    Black is Birth and death is black
    Black is the universal Night.
    (Jasim Uddin)
  • Amar Kantho II- Voice and Songs of Jasim Uddin On Gazir Gan - Part II

  • nakshi katha by suraya

    Bibliography

    Ahmed,Wakil:Banglar Loka-sanskriti.(Bangla Academy,Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue,Dhaka 1000,Bangladesh.Text:Bangla.)
    Jasim Uddin:Nakshi Kanthar Maat(text Bangla), English translation "The Field of Embroidered Quilt " E.M. Milford and Rev.Willium Mcdermott,Dhaka 1964.
    Jasim Uddin:La Terra Dalla Coltre Ricamata, Italian translation, translated by P. M. Rigon, Lief, Vicenza, Italy, 1977.
    Islam, Shafiqul: Nakshikanta,article published in the Swedish quarterly magazine SYDASIEN, Nr.3.1994, årgång 18. Please see the scanned picture.Text:Swedish.The same Nakshikantha table-cover you just have seen in the scanned picture was donated to the Deptt. of Indology,Stockholm University by the author of the article, 1994.
    Kramrisch, Stella:The Art of India,London 1965. "Kantha", J.I.S.O.A. Vol VII 1939, scanned text of the article coming soon.
    Zaman, Niaz:The Art of Kantha Embroidery, ISBN 984 05 1228 5, University Press Ltd.,Red Crescent Building,114 Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh.Text:English.

    Home

  • Jasimuddin- Poet of the people of Bangladesh- A film by Khan Ata 1978

    Back to Content

    5.The Field Of The Embroidered Quilt

    I count it a very great honour to have been invited to introduce this beautiful poem to the English-speaking public. I have often thought that one of the chief reasons for the neglect of the Bengali villager is the belief among sophisticated people that he is not fully human. None of us would put it exactly like that, but how often you will hear it said, 'Oh! it doesn't matter; they don't feel things as we do or 'They don't love as we do-it's only animal pleasure for them' or 'They aren't interested in anything but food and money.'

    Two types of effort will help to dissipate this idea. One is ethnographical research-unhappily still discredited in Pakistan and India- which brings to light the whole life of a people and reveals it as a connected and reasonable whole. Unfortunately, most ethnography has been on the lines of museum collection: a large number of unusual, shocking or exciting things have been collected, but no attempt has been made to relate them to one another, and so we have only learnt to see the strangeness of the villager and not his essential likeness to ourselves. New methods and a stricter scholarship will alter this in time

    But anthropology is a matter for experts. The artistic approach is more immediate and has a wide appeal. The translation of folk-songs is specially valuable as opening a door direct into a people's mind, Books about village life are generally written by outsiders who record what seems important to them; the folk-songs reveal what is important to the villagers themselves. As Jasim Uddin says,

    What may we know of the secret sorrow
    Of the shepherd in the field?
    In vain we search in our joy and our pain
    This secret of his to yield.
    Our griefs written in verse and book
    That those who read may know.
    But dumb are the griefs of the shepherd boy
    Which only the flute can show.

    I do not know whether The Field of the Embroidered Quilt can be as folk-poetry, but it is obviously poetry about the folk. After nearly ten years of village life I find every detail of the picture, every turn of the story, waking a response in my mind. It is impossible to read this deeply-moving tale and continue to feel superior or indifferent to the villager who is capable of such passionate love and such deep sorrow. The greatness of a man depends on his power to experience deeply-love or hate, joy or sorrow. Jasim Uddin's villagers rejoice and suffer, desire and are desired, hate and despair from the very depths of their souls; there is nothing trivial about them, nothing superficial: they are real. I do not know whether The Field of the Embroidered Quilt can be c1assed folk-poetry, but it is obviously poetry about the folk. After nearly ten years of village life I find every detail of the picture, every turn of the story, waking a response in my mind. It is impossible to read this deeply-moving tale and continue to feel superior or indifferent to the villager who is capable of such passionate love and such deep sorrow. The greatness of a man depends on his power to experience deeply-love or hate, joy or sorrow. Jasim Uddin's villagers rejoice and suffer, desire and are desired, hate and despair from the very depths of their souls; there is nothing trivial about them, nothing superficial: they are real.

    And what lovely pictures the poem contains ! You can see every detail as Rupa cuts his bamboos; you see him in love, shyly bringing sweets and a necklace his mind 'restless as a vagrant's flute,' ...a helpless boat on the tide, That is slowly towed along, Drawn downstream to an unknown port.

    The marriage scene is admirably drawn in all its details, and so is the exquisite account of wedded happiness that follows. The natural life of the fields is well described:

    The ripening rice rubs grain on grain
    And music makes,
    The wind its fragrance blows after,
    And every full ear shakes.

    There is something quite magical about the harvest music.

    The whole night long throughout the village
    The harvest music rings.
    The farmers sing with a new throat, They sing in their delight.
    They play the flute and now discover
    New meaning to the night.

    So I have often heard, as 1 have come up from the dust and turmoil of Nagpur, the whole countryside burst into song.

    The latter part of the poem is almost unbearable after this, but that is as it should be. It is a proof of the skill with which the author has entranced us. This is no Shakespearean tragedy-the working out of tragic character to a tragic end, the awful designs of fate drawing to their desperate conclusion. It is the tragedy with which all .who know village life in Bengal are only too familar; meaningless waste, fruitless despair, hopeless disaster against which man is powerless.· So does cholera suddenly invade a valley, so does the capricious weather destroy the crops or wild animals steal the treasured cattle. Yet out of this strange meaningless existence of loss and separation, hunger and frustration, the villager (as I have seen again and again and as Jasim Uddin portrays most beautifully) achieves the highest ends. His are the values of constancy and courage, love and hope.

    If you measure these people by the quality of their love, and if you measure this poem by its power to portray that love, both poem and people must have a high place in our regard,

    I do not know how far Mrs Milford's version reproduces the rhythm of the original nor do I know the source of her technique. But I cannot end without remarking on what seems to me a very notable artistic achievement. Mrs Milford's verse is entrancing, there is no other word for it. You are not caught at once (and I would urge readers who find the opening stanzas rather heavy-going to persevere) but you are caught in the end. The form and rhythm of the English version exactly suit the matter and could hardly be improved.

    I read the poem with growing excitement and have returned to it again and again to be delighted by its simplicity, its charm, its deep humanity.

    VERRIER ELWIN
    Sanhrvvachhapar Village,Mandla District, India .

    nakshi katha by surayaOur thousands of years of socio-cultural evolution and tradition, multireligious product and also multiracial expression are going to perish day by day. Many NGOs and donors spent millions of dollars to fight fanatism, racism etc in cities capitals with the elite of the society but it is a misuse of the money of the tax payers.It is just simple to forward rural women's culture!

    'Nakshi Kantha' (Embroidered Quilt) makers of Pabna in dire straits

    The makers of 'Nakshi Kantha' (embroidered quilt) in Pabna district are in dire straits in recent times. The age-old glorious handicraft of the district is now facing extinction due to various problems confronting it. Lack of patronage is mainly responsible for the downslide of this handicraft. It is gathered that a large number of women in all the nine upazilas of the district would once eke out a living by making and selling 'Nakshi Kantha'.

    At least 600 women in rural areas of the district used to make 'Nakshi Kantha' by using old and new clothes, saris in particular. Women in groups used to sit in front of their verandahs and stitch kanthas by using old clothes, saris, lungis and bed sheets. They used to make attractive designs on the kanthas by using new clothes and colourful threads. Amina Khatun of village Dasuriea in Ishwardi upazila told this correspondent that once she used to get a lot of orders for making 'Nakshi Kantha' and her income from it was substantial to maintain her family. Her mother and sisters-in-law were also connected with the trade, but these days she hardly gets any order.

    Hafiza Begum of the same village said that in the past, housewives of rich families used to supply her with old and new clothes, threads to stitch varieties of kanthas. Those kanthas used to be given to their relatives, new-born babies, nieces and nephews as gifts. By stitching kanthas she used to earn Taka 25 to 30 every day and if she used materials at her own cost she used to earn Taka 600 to 700 per month. She used to meet the expenses of the family with the income, she said. But now it has become difficult for her to maintain her family. She has been forced to quit her age-old trade.

    There is no patronage from the government to run the trade. Most of the women engaged in this trade are now leading a miserable life due to alarming fall in their income. The aggrieved women have urged the authorities concerned to provide them with loan on easy terms so that they can start their business afresh (The Independent, October 2, 2003).

    Nakshi Kanthar Math’

    by

    Sanskriti Inc. San Francisco Bay Area Bengali Community-

    Nakshi Kanthar Matt is written by poet Jasim Uddin. Many of Jasim Uddin’s significant works portrayed the rural life of Bengal in a simple yet strikingly artistic fashion. That is why he is known as `PolliKobi’ or Folk Poet. ‘Nakshi Kanthar Math’ is no exception. It is a folk love story ending in tragedy.

    A young man named Rupai falls in love with Shaju, a beautiful girl from a neighboring village. With the aid of a match maker, and the joyous consent of their parents, Rupai and Shaju get married. For some time, they live happily.

    One day Rupai goes out to see the harvesting of the crops. Unfortunately he gets into a fight. In the consuming battle, men get killed and Rupai must go into hiding. Shaju waits for her love to return. To help pass the time, she starts portraying the sad tale of her life in a Nakshi Kantha, a quilt sewn from old clothes with delicate stitches.

    Days, months, years go by, and Shaju still waits for Rupai to return to her. Finally, out of anxiety and hopelessness, Shaju falls down and dies. According to her wishes, her grave is covered with the Nakshi Kantha. Rupai finally returns to his wife and in grief joins his wife in death. The people of the village renamed their village `Nakshi Kanthar Math’ (Field of Embroidered Quilt) to immortalize the tragic saga of Rupai and Shaju’s illustrated love

    The Nakshi Kanthar Math (Bangladesh)

    The Nakshi Kanthar Math (Bangladesh), Belconnen Community Theatre, in Belconnen, Canberra. my247 the Guide to what's on in Canberra.

    This Bangladeshi dance troupe will present a dance drama based on rural life in Bangladesh—combining drama and song with narrative in English. The Nakshi Kanthar Math (The Field of the Embroidered Quilt) by poet Jashimuddin Ahmed will be staged. This is a tragic love story of a village boy Rupa and a village girl Shaju, which reflects rural Bengali culture.

    2008 National Multicultural Festival in Canberra: The Nakshi Kanthar Math (Bangladesh) Friday, 15 February at 8pm

    The Nakshi Kanthar Math (Bangladesh) This Bangladeshi dance troupe will present a dance drama based on rural life in Bangladesh—combining drama and song with narrative in English. The Nakshi Kanthar Math (The Field of the Embroidered Quilt) by poet Jashimuddin Ahmed will be staged. This is a tragic love story of a village boy Rupa and a village girl Shaju, which reflects rural Bengali culture.




    Palli-kobi Jasimuddin Festival begins "Nakshi Kanthar Math" staged

    The narratives of the rustic Bengal and its people have always been presented artistically in Palli-kobi Jasimuddin's poetry, touching the soul of readers. To pay homage to the poet, Department of Production of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) has arranged a three-day programme at the National Theatre Stage. Secretary of the academy, Ashraful Musaddeq inaugurated the programme on June 3. Media personality Muhammad Jahangir, also the coordinator of dance troupe Nrityanchal, was the special guest. Director, Department of Production, Zinnat Barkatullah delivered the welcome speech.

    Muhammad Jahangir said, "Besides academic curriculum at school and college levels, Jasimuddin's works do not get the exposure they deserve. While most of the 20th century Bengali poets are highly influenced by Rabindranath Tagore, Jasimuddin is one of the few who have developed their distinct styles. I believe that by labelling the poet 'Palli-kobi', the urban literature enthusiasts have 'subconsciously' sidelined his creativity. I appreciate the current endeavour of the academy and expect more such elaborate programmes in future." Ashraful Mosaddeq said, "If a poet doesn't offer any new 'form' or 'idea', he/she can never survive the test of time. Jasimuddin is successful in presenting our rural culture in a modern light. To promote his work we will take more initiatives."

    After the discussion, Nrityanchal staged a dance-drama titled Nakshi Kanthar Math, based on Jasimuddin's popular narrative poem with the same title. Under the guidance of Zinnat Barkatullah, the troupe revived the show, which was premiered in 1981. Zinnat Barkatullah informed, "In 1981, BSA sent Nakshi Kanthar Math to Italy. Shibly Mohammed, Shamim Ara Nipa and I were the lead performers in the dance-drama. The poem is dramatised by Golam Mujtaba and the dance-drama is directed by Mostafa Manowar. Veteran dancer GA Mannan is the choreographer and Ustad Khadem Hossain Khan is the music composer. Indramohan Rajbongshi and Nina Hamid render the playback for the tunes. Tonight's show maintains the same presentation style of the premier performance."

    Featuring the tragic love story between Shaju and Rupai, portrayal of rural Bangladesh -- traditions, struggles and way of living as a whole -- is presented eloquently in Nakshi Kanthar Math.

    The dance-drama begins with a drought scene. The villagers arrange a socio-religious ritual praying for rain. At the event Rupai (Shibly Mohammed) meets Shaju (Shamim Ara Nipa); it's a classic case of love at first sight.

    The lovers get married but the bliss does not last long. Tragedy occurs when thugs come to loot the crops of the villagers, resulting in a conflict. Five die and Rupai is wrongly accused. To evade the situation, he sees no other way but to flee.

    Rural customs and festivities like harvest, fishing and wedding, have been emphasised, rather than focusing on just the love-story. The dramatisation of solitude by Shibly and Nipa deserve a special mention. Nipa embodied the melancholy of the character Shaju, who pines away for her beloved and succumbs to death. The story ends with Shibly as Rupai, delivering a remarkable performance when the character returns home and finds a nakshi kantha (embroidered quilt), in which Shaju had delineated moments from her lonesome life. (Ershad Komol, Daily Star, June 5, 2007)

    Please View Sponsored Advertisements to Support this Site and Project

    Back to Content

    Home

    Last Modified: April 6, 2009