Lucknow Chikankari’s legacy: Story of women artisans hidden behind threads

Chikankari has received Geographical Indication (GI) status from the Geographical Indication Registry (GIR), making Lucknow an exclusive hub of the craft.

The intricate needle-and-thread craft of Chikankari, which has represented the city across the seven seas, stands tall—sustained by thousands of women artisans who work tirelessly, completing these knotty designs while sitting in the verandahs of their homes in the narrow lanes and bylanes of the old city.

From a Chikankari workshop in Lucknow (HT )

Chikankari has received Geographical Indication (GI) status from the Geographical Indication Registry (GIR), making Lucknow an exclusive hub of the craft. While the story of Chikankari is commonly narrated, the tale of these women artisans continues to remain untold.

For Sabina Huda (39), an artisan working in a workshop, the day begins early as she completes household chores, gets her kids ready for school, and cooks for her family. “I leave for the workshop around 9 am every day to reach here by 10 am. I continue to embroider the Chikankari designs throughout the day till 5 pm. Chikankari gave me an opportunity to earn my livelihood and feel empowered,” said Huda.

As she spoke, her five-year-old daughter Sukaina was peacefully sleeping with her head on Huda’s lap. She shared how, most of the time, her family supports her, but at times, she has to bring her daughter from school directly to the workshop, where Sukaina plays, watches her work, and sleeps until it’s time to go back home. This is not just Huda’s story—thousands of women in the Chikankari industry have similar experiences.

Runa Banerjee, a Padma Shri awardee who has worked to empower women in the Chikankari industry, said that the artisans should be provided with healthcare facilities and post-retirement stipends by the government. “They dedicate their entire lives to preserving and promoting this art form—the least we can do is provide them with incentives. Besides, we must appreciate the intricate details made by them so that we are not just left with the ‘Ghaspatti’ work but also the intricate stitches like ‘Jaal’ and ‘Murri’,” said Banerjee.

Naseem Bano, another Padma Shri awardee for Anokhi Chikankari—a type of Chikankari in which the thread is not visible on the other side of the fabric—shared that she is currently training 30 women in a government workshop. “Even though the industry is booming, with Chikankari kurtas and dresses trending across the world, the wages received by women in the craft form depend on the type of work done. The work done with thick strands of thread, also called ‘Ghaspatti’ work, fetches a lower amount of money compared to pieces that include intricate work like ‘Jaal’ and ‘Murri,’ which increases the cost of the item,” said Bano.

She added that Chikankari has given wings to the lives of ordinary women, especially those from lower-income backgrounds. “Women who were once confined to household chores are now becoming empowered by dedicating just a few hours to the business. Chikankari is a heritage preserved mainly by women in the old city region and rural parts of Kakori, Hardoi, Sitapur, Barabanki, and Bijnor,” she said.

Meena Srivastava, former principal of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Government PG College, Rajajipuram, who started a venture called Avadh Chikankari Association Private Limited to protect and empower women pursuing Chikankari, said that most of the workers come from underprivileged and minority communities. The organization has provided shares to the artisans along with online selling opportunities.

“During the pandemic, we realized that artisans working in this craft, which represents the city worldwide, fall prey to middlemen. If a kurta is sold to a customer for ₹3,500, the vendor pays the middleman ₹1,500, who, in turn, pays only ₹700 to the artisans. This highlights the gap between sellers and customers. These kurtas contain intricate patterns, which take an artisan over a week to complete if she works for more than five hours daily. This means she earns only ₹150-200 per day, which is even less than the wages of a daily labourer,” said Srivastava.

She also pointed out that since many women are uneducated, they lack awareness about government schemes that could help them increase their income.