Kantha Embroidery Popular in India

WONG:
Women in the rural area of Indias West Bengal state are earning a living by making 'Kantha', which is a kind of traditional embroidery. This ancient industry is helping with recycling old clothes as well as influencing some of the more exquisite designs used in the fashion world.

STORY:
For over six centuries, Bengali women have been stitching together many layers of old clothes to make quilts.

Traditionally Kantha was done on two to four layers of mostly old cotton cloths. The designs resembled rural or village life.

But now this ancient art provides gainful employment to women across five districts.

[Putul Das, Kantha Maker]:
"I love doing this work. I have become self-dependent. I have started sending my children to school and can provide them with good education. I am helping my family.

For these rural women, Kantha is a blessing. Now they are getting paid a good amount of money for their work.

[Bharati Singh, Kantha Maker]:
"I came here and saw that everyone was enjoying their work. I realized that if I do this work, I would be able to pay for my tuition and education expenses.

The revival of Kantha is the brainchild of Shamlu Dudeja who started with just four
women. Now there are more than 800 working for her company.

They can turn the cloth into anything from bedcovers, to lampshades, upholstery or curtains.

[Shamlu Dudeja, Kantha Business Owner]:
"Our women in Bengal have been doing it for at least 600 years because they were using old sarees and layering them. So they were reusing and recycling old sarees, which would have no value otherwise.

So this old form of recycling clothes which was once used by Buddha and his disciples is now becoming popular again in rural Bengal.

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