Kantha embroidery artist from Bengal hopes Padma award will inspire many more women

Kantha embroidery artist Pritikana Goswami, who was among the four Padma awardees from West Bengal, on Thursday hoped that the coveted award will inspire many more women to explore their skills in the art form. Elated after receiving the news of her selection for the Padma Shri award, the septuagenarian resident of Sonarpur area in South 24 Parganas said it has made her more confident to pursue weaving and stitching.

She had taken up embroidery and stitching as a profession in 1973 after her father's death to help her family of five sisters. After initial struggle, things started looking up for her when her works caught the attention of the state's crafts council in 1990.

"I received a phone call from Delhi around 10 pm on Wednesday night informing me about my selection for the award... I am yet to believe my ears... There is a sense of elation. This is also recognition for hundreds of women working with me," she told reporters.


Goswami said the award will inspire many more women to take the plunge into the world of arts and explore their skills.

"The award is recognition of my years of toil and struggle. God has blessed me and I know he wishes me to take my work forward, to the global stage, in a more effective manner," she said.

Sarinda player 102-year-old Mangala Kanti Roy, who is among the senior most folk musicians in the state, was also selected for the Padma Shri award. He has been performing for over eight decades.

Dhaniram Toto was awarded the Padma Shri in Literature and Education segment for preserving and promoting the Toto (Dhengka) language for decades.

Dilip Mahalanabis, a paediatrician who had pioneered the wide use of Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), thus saving the lives of crores of people, was conferred the Padma Vibhushan award posthumously.