Papiya Begum

Papiya Begum has been doing Kantha stitch for about twenty-five years. She learned it from her mother, the way it has always been passed down in Birbhum - from mother to daughter, one verandah to the next.

Now she is teaching her own daughter, so the craft goes on for another generation. More than 450 artisans work with her today; she draws and pins the designs and holds every piece to the same standard.

Her pieces have travelled far beyond Bengal, and she is invited to exhibitions to show them. That is why we mark her as a world-class artisan.

Papiya does not sell online - she does not use the internet at all. This is the real problem with Kantha today: the generational artisans who make the real thing are almost impossible to find online, while copies are everywhere. KANTHA puts her name, her work and her story in front of you, and pays her directly.