Bangladeshi Handicraft: Nokshikatha

Bangladesh has a rich and living tradition of craft and textiles that are closely linked to its vibrant cultural heritage. The crafts and textiles produced by its artisans reflect a heritage of thousands of years of history, folk music and literature. Firmly rooted in tradition the crafts are closely linked to the countries topography and climate, to its cultural mix and its age old customs.

Not enough praise can be sung about the ingenuity, skill and adaptability of the artisans who have kept their traditions alive over many generations. In almost all the small towns and villages in Bangladesh there are areas where artisans practice their crafts. Heriditary artisans have sustained their family trades through the centuries: the tantis /weavers, kumars /potters, kamars /brass smiths, sutradhar /wood carvers, subarnabaniks /gold smiths, malakars /shoal craftspersons and others have pursued their traditional occupations to produce crafts for daily use, for rituals and for decorative purposes.

In 1971 when Bangladesh became independent a conscious effort was made to revive and promote traditional crafts. While traditional designs retained their popularity there was a resurgence that adapted products to suit contemporary needs.