New software to revive traditional Chikankari embroidery

IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Kanpur in collaboration with Datamation Foundation and The World Bank & Microsoft has rolled out a new chikankari design software to improve the designing skills of the Chikankari community in the Lucknow and Kanpur regions. It is believed that this modern technology can simplify and restore the heritage of traditional craft design without losing its essence. Considering this philosophy, this new software will be used for the Lucknow Chikankari embroidery. The software would help in generating larger variations of designs, cost-effectively, and in lesser time, than the existing traditional Chikankari embroidery. This new software is called ‘Chic’, which is a “2D graphics” and “diagram editor” for Windows Operating System.