PALLAVAN

"Pallavan - to bloom" came into existence to impart vocational training to women. Two centres were opened, one in Kolkata at 'Sealdah' and the other at 'Rajarhat'. Under the supervision of Shukla Chakraborty and support from Swapna, Baby and Geeta the women learned to do fine embroidery.

From the women of Pallavan

"I came to this place in 1990 to learn sewing and tailoring. I have benefitted by learning a lot of things from this centre," - Putul Sandhukha

"I am with Divya Chaya from the first day of this centre. My contribution to the family helps me to increase my confidence in my work and capability. Now I can put my opinion for my children's education." - Malati Mondal

Kantha is a close running stitch filled inside a design, a cultural product of Bengal. Although the work is simple, the final appearance is beautiful.

The Kantha, in its simplest form, was invented out of necessity and made in varying sizes and layers, starting with small pieces of cloth spread in the courtyard to lay new born babies on while they were massaged with mustard oil, to the light covers that adults used at night, and wrapped over their shoulders in winter mornings.
Thread and cloth were not easily available to common people, so Bengali housewives started to use overused saris or dhotis by stitching them up. They took out strands of thread from the colourful borders of the saris, and made simple designs with them, in order to mask the drab appearance of the cloth.
Kanthas were made by women of all rural classes in Bengal, the rich landlord's wife making her own elaborate embroidered quilt in her leisure time, and the tenant farmer's wife making her own thrifty, coverlet, equal in beauty and skill. Traditionally, Kanthas have a variety of uses for domestic, ritual, and ceremonial purposes. Kantha articles include spreads and coverlets, cloth for covering dishes and wrapping toilet articles, jainamaz (Muslim prayer mats), gilaf (cover for the Quran), spreads for pujas or for seating special guests or a bridegroom, palki topor (spread for the palanquin), pillow covers, and dining mats, among others.
These motifs are an expression of how a woman views nature, her home, life in the village, and her perception of the environment she is surrounded by, and with advancement in organizational techniques and the commencement of the age of information, and exposure to the modern world, these designs have evolved, and contemporary Kantha work showcases a fusion of classical influences and modern nuances.
Bangladeshi Kantha work is referred to as Nakshi Kantha and Kantha native to Santi Niketan has gained worldwide recognition as Santi Niketan Kantha.
Kantha work differs from village to village, almost as if it a dialect known and used by the people of that particular hamlet.
Kantha was almost never made for money, and the idea of using this embroidery commercially originated in more urban groups where young women were trained from scratch, rather than from women who have done this work all their lives. Most of these women did not have a formal education and rarely went out of their villages.
Pallavan, a project undertaken by Divya Chaya Trust, Karam Bhoomi, Rajarhat, which simple translates as ‘to bloom’ came into existence in 1988, as an initiative to impart vocational training to underprivileged women, who are on the path to emancipation, with the help of the money they earn by way of stitching, which they use for the welfare of their families and children. The money has brought about change, and for the better, for they are at a position where they are self-reliant, and with better understanding of their priorities. It is an attempt to improve the economic and social status of women, and the centre at Rajarhat currently around 50 women, living below poverty line who are engaged in earning money with help of their skills with the needle, and are aware that it provides for them a platform to share their experience, while developing and implementing their skill and evolving their creativity.
Today, many women in rural Bengal do a lot of Kantha work for traders in Calcutta. The women feel they are specialists and their work cannot easily be done by anyone else, and enjoy the feeling of being a apart of a group that sits together and works together, and feel empowered, as their work is appreciated, and paid for.
Today, one can find museums dedicated to Kantha Work, an example being the Gurusaday Dutt Museum on Diamond Harbor Road, Kolkata, which has displays of unique pieces of Kantha, some dating back to several decades, as well as Divya Chaya Trust’s Karam Bhoomi in Rajarhat, both aiming at the preservation of this important part of Bengali Culture.

The products designed & manufactured at PALLAVAN are: -
•	Fancy Bags
•	Mobile cover & File cover
•	Cushion covers
•	Dress material
•	Saree
•	Raperskirt
•	Bed cover
•	Table mat