Tripti Mukherjee
A kantha embroidery artist from Suri who has taught the craft to many rural women so they can earn a living, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
Tripti Mukherjee has spent nearly four decades with needle and thread, working in kantha embroidery and teaching it to women who need an income. In 2026 she was named for the Padma Shri in the field of art, from West Bengal [1].
Learning from her mother
Mukherjee was born on 28 April 1966 [2]. As a girl she was drawn to kantha by watching her mother’s work, and it soon became her passion [2]. She has 37 years of experience in the craft [2].
A centre in Suri
She set up a training centre in Suri, where she teaches local women kantha embroidery on saris, wall hangings, bedsheets, stoles and dupattas [2]. The women sell their work at government exhibitions and fairs, which gives them a regular income [2]. Many batches of women have trained with her and started their own work [2].
She represented West Bengal in Birmingham, UK, in 2017 and demonstrated kantha at the India Trend Fair in Tokyo in 2025 [2]. She was also a resource person at a craft event with the Prime Minister at Bharat Tex 2025 [2].
She received the Ministry of Textiles’ Shilp Guru award in 2016 and the West Bengal government’s Bangashree award in 2017 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Tripti Mukherjee — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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