If simplicity and quiet beauty characterizes the Bengali woman, this could not be more apparent than tn her work, especially her baud work. Nakshikantha. an age-old tradition of Bengal, represents a folk art which would have faded out of our lives by now if it weren't for a few Individuals who have brought it into contemporary fashion. Saris, wall hangings, linen - nakshikantha designs are the latest craze in Dhaka. The Nakshikantha Exhibition by Nasreen Akhter at the WVA auditorium in Dhanmondi is a gala of this folk art represented in its purest form on brilliant Rajshahi silks.
The saris, each of them a work of art, have names that say something above the design and theme of the piece. 'Shamalota' for example, has a spectacular golden yellow orange and green floral design on a glossy olT-white silk background. The work is extremely intricate and beautiful.
'Shapla Lanka is another eye-catching piece with a background of a orange and grey combination silk, the anchaaT has a delicate peach flowery design that brings an unusual elegance to the sari. Similarly bonophool' is based on a sea green and deep turquoise blue combination with majenta. light blue and off-white floral designs.
Most of the pieces depict motifs of rural Bangladesh that dominate the village woman s imagination — birds, flowers leaves, butterflies etc. Modhuban has a forest-like theme with thick leafy designs all over the saH while paan pata' displays complex betel leaf turquoise and pink design on light blue silk.
Other pieces Include a breathtaking off white silk with geometric patterns in orange, red and maroon threads. The design, says Akhter. Is a copy of an original nakshikantha displayed In the Dhaka museum. Complicated and symmetrical, the sari has seven different stitches. This includes chatai stitch resembling Etf stitch, anarash (pineapple). Sha mu k taga
e a snail) and mochra stitch.
One thing that Is immediately noticeable
about the saris of this two-day exhibition is that they display a sophistication and rare beauty that is not present in the saris sold in the market.
The secret Iles in the stitches which display a special kind of skill. Akhter explains that most people think Kantha' and Nakshikantha mean the same thing. While 'Kantha' stitch is an ordinary running stitch, the nakshikantha' is much more complicated and requires greater skill. Akhter points out that nowadays nakshikantha' has been over-commercialized and mixed with foreign stitches like cross stitch. The main intention of this exhibition" says Akhter. "is to show people what authentic nakshikantha' is".
Usually, the women who do nakshikantha', she adds, do not want to do simple Kantha' because they cannot use their talents. Although the designs are given by artists and the colour combination and lay out by Akhter herself, the beauty of the sari ultimately lies with the women whose skills have been inherited from their mothers and grandmothers. Sewing these complicated stitches has become almost Instinctive for these women whose sense of symmetry Is remarkable Recognizing their talent, Akhter pays her workers more than most employers. For each nakshikantha' sari, the worker gets 1400 taka while a Kantha' sari earns from 60? 700 taka. The selling price of each sari ranges from 2500 to 4500 taka
Many Individuals who have made nakshikantha' saris a profitable business, says Akhter. do not give these women what they deserve in order to keep prices low and profits high.
Akhter. who has been Interested In folk art and craft since she was a teenager, says that Bengali people are very talented but most of the time this is not recognized.
The exhibition which displays a rare collection of folk art In its most brilliant and authentic form, certainly gives this recognition.