Indriya's Features
 
 
Description
 
It's spring and it's time to bring out pretty silk hand embroidery stoles and wraps. This navy blue pretty dupatta in handloom silk with ivory kantha hand embroidery is a unique, exquisite artisanal creation to have. The dupatta has intricate hand embroidery all over, in the shape of spring leaves, done in the nakshi kantha style and works as a stole over a kurta or shirt or a dupatta over a kurta. The pretty organic cotton hand made white crochet lace at the edge of the dupatta is super soft to touch and provides a lovely contrast to the navy blue dupatta. 
Team this pretty blue wrap with a white kurta and blue jeans and feel one with nature. 
The white tunic in the image is for styling purposes. Tunics can be made to order. Please meesage us for the same. 
 
About a heritage craft called Nakshi kantha
Nakshi Kantha embroidery is a heritage art form practiced by women from Bengal. In the olden days, in rural Bengal, kantha stitch or a simple running stitch was invented out of necessity. Various pieces of discarded cloths were layered and patched together with a simple run stitch and used to lay new born babies on while they were massaged with mustard oil. They were also used as light covers that adults use at night, and wrap over their shoulders in winter mornings. Over time kantha began to be commercialised by various self-help groups and women’s organisations that work in the area of skill building and livelihoods. Women started applying their creativity to the simple kantha stitch and the colourful patterns and designs that were embroidered resulted in the name "Nakshi Kantha", which was derived from the Bengali word "naksha", which refers to artistic patterns. 
Motifs of the nakshi kantha are deeply influenced by religious belief and culture. Even though no specific strict symmetry is followed, a finely embroidered nakshi kantha will always have a focal point, and around the focal point there are often undulating vines or floral motifs, or a shari border motif. While traditional motifs are repeated, the individual touch of the artist is visible in the variety of stitches, colours and shapes typically inspired by nature. 
A medium intense floral hand embroidered kantha saree takes approximately 2 to 3 months to make by 1 artist. The more intense or complex the design, the longer the embroidery takes. The process is tedious and time consuming. First a design needs to be planned, it needs to be traced, checked for errors, then the colours need to be planned and then the embroidery execution begins. In a day an artist works for 4 – 5 hours after which fatigue sets in. 
Kantha embroidery while produced on commercial scale is still a skill and an art that helps sustain livelihoods in rural parts of Bengal and Bihar. 
* This product has been woven on a handloom by the weaver and may have slight irregularities that are a natural outcome due to the human involvement in weaving a unique handcrafted product without any electrical power. The colours may fade or bleed due to the traditional dyeing method employed.
* There may be slight differences in color of the actual product due to lighting conditions during photography.