सुजनी (Sujni)
Sujni is a quilted embroidery tradition from the Bhusura and Mirzapur clusters of Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi districts in Bihar, practiced by women of the Dalit community. Like Bengali Kantha (CRAFT-0057), it uses recycled cloth layers stitched together with a running stitch, but Sujni's subject matter is distinctively narrative and socially engaged: it documents daily life, the women's own experiences, and — in its most celebrated contemporary form — social commentary on violence against women, migration, caste oppression, and political events. The Bihar Sujni tradition was catalyzed and organized by the NGO Adithi in the 1980s, which transformed a dormant domestic practice into a social art movement. This conscious social-art dimension distinguishes Sujni from other embroidery traditions and has earned it international recognition as both craft and activist practice.
Risk level: Endangered · Not inscribed
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