Design and Composition

The design of kathas can vary from simple to very intricate design patterns. Traditionally it was never drawn and copied on the fabric, it was done free hand using just the needle, with old fabrics in the form of a saree and some thread. There may have been some compositions and planning done to make space divisions and plan the placement of the motifs but it was always done ‘free hand’. It was like painting with a needle. Although there is no strict symmetry to nokshi katha, a fine piece will usually have a lotus as a focal point, with stylized birds, plants, fish, flowers and other scenes surrounding this. Present day, mandala styled designs and floral patterns are very popular.

The motifs of the Nokshi Katha can depict folk festivals, marriage ceremonies, the lotus, boats, horses, carts, flowers, fish, elephants, umbrellas, water pot, decorative plate, trees, wheels, etc.

Muslim women especially concentrate on geometric and floral motifs, the crescent, star, domes, minarets, verses of the holy Quran. Since drawing faces is not encouraged in Islam, they focused on more abstract patterns and Islamic inspired designs. Katha designs in the Hindu community told of folk beliefs and practices, religious ideas, themes and characters from mythology and epics and the social and personal lives of the person making them. Over time the katha designs became less personalized and similar floral designs became popular. If you were to go to a market today in Bangladesh, you would mostly find floral patterns. Of course you can always get it custom made as well, to suit your needs.

Over time the katha designs became less personalized and similar floral designs became popular. If you were to go to a market today in Bangladesh, you would mostly find floral pattern. Of course you can always get it custom made as well.

Currently mandala/floral designs are very popular, there are mny variations on these designs avilable in the market today

In the early days it was common to use the running stitch across the fabrics or creating simple geometric shapes as shown above

Example of a design inspired by the Hindu religion, they oftern depicted their many gods and ceremonies. A popular theme was also inspired by the everyday life of the women. In the image below you can see the women cleaning the rice after harvesting

Image curtesy http://sos-arsenic.net/

Simple flower designs are found on katha that are for everyday use.