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 women. 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, in its own way, depict the social and personal life of the people.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sila Basak
Dr. Sila Basak was born in Kolkata in 1947. She earned her Ph.D. degree from university of Calcutta and D.Litt. From Rabindra Bharati university, Calcutta, India. Te area of both the researchers was Folkloristics. Working as an academic attached to the Department of Folkore and language studies with various Universities. Dr. Basak is also associated with the training and research programmes in Folkloristic of the Asiatic Society, Kolkata, where she is a life-member. She is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, London and a member of the Asiatic Societies of both Bangladesh and Japan. Dr. Basak s also associated with the training and research programes in Folkloristic of the Asiatic Society, Kolkata, where she is a life-member. She is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, London and a member of the Asiatic Societies of both Bangladesh and Japan. Dr. Basak is also a member International Society of Folk Narrative research, Finland and also a member of International union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, U.K. She has addressed several International Seminars in different countries. She s a recipient of the prestigious Ananda Puraskar and Folklore research medal. Dr. Sila Basak is the author of a number of books and research papers on the various aspects of Bengal’s folklore and life. She lives wit her family in Kolkata, India.
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