Sinchita Parbat

Sharmila Joshi

Text Editor

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In Amta town, along the Damodar river,
agriculture and fishing are the main occupations. The women here also do
piece-rate work on chiffon and georgette 
sarees – they embellish them with small stones and turn plain sarees
into works of art.
 
 In many homes across rural West Bengal, women
are engaged in this work; it gives them an income, a means of contributing to
their family’s expenses, and a sense of independence.
 
 The finished stone-studded sarees cost upwards
of Rs. 2,000 in the shops of West Bengal, but the women get paid only a
fraction of that amount—around Rs. 20 per saree.

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This video and story were done as part of Sinchita Maji&#39;s 2015-16 PARI fellowship.

Stone-studded sarees – creating art in Amta

आमता की पत्थर जड़ी साड़ियां

ଅମ୍‌ତାର ପଥର ଖଚିତ ଶାଢି ତିଆରି କଳା

புடவையில் கல் பதித்தல் எனும் கலை

खड्यांच्या साड्या – आमटातला कलाविष्कार

পাথর-বসানো শাড়ি – আমতার এক বিখ্যাত শিল্প

ಕಲಾತ್ಮಕ ಸೀರೆಗಳ ನಾಕ - ಆಮ್ಟಾದಲ್ಲೊಂದು ಹೊಸ ಕಲಾಲೋಕ

Amta

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Stone-studded sarees – creating art in Amta

Bijoli Patra and other women in Amta town of Howrah district do piece-rate work from home and bring in much needed income

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