This Banarasi saree hub makes a slow recovery after Covid

Maqbool Hasan has vivid memories of the ‘dangerous’ period in April 2021 when his more than 100-year-saree shop, Resham India, in the narrow alley of Varanasi -- was shut down.

“This was the worst time of my business ever since I took over my ancestral shop in 1968,” the 77-year-old says. Hasan had strived to keep giving jobs to his 150-odd employees despite the rough weather caused by Covid.

“Even amidst the gloom, I tried my best to be positive. But in March 2020 the raw materials were exhausted and I had to prune my work. By October 2020, we restarted our work and could even get buyers. But the lockdown of 2021 put a brake on everything.”

Hasan is one among the several Banarasi saree manufacturers weathering the market fluctuations caused by Covid. My shop closed, and my employees migrated, the septuagenarian recalls. “This was a dangerous time for all of us.”

Several months down the line, Hasan is hopeful. “We are on a path of recovery. The market is not as buoyant as it was during the pre- Covid time but it is also not gloomy. I would say there has been 80% recovery in power loom and 70% in handloom.”

Hasan is also sceptical about the market after the festivals. “We have to see how the market is after Diwali. Only then, we will be able to estimate our recovery.”

Business trajectory

A little further down the same alley, Mohammad Amin agrees the saree business has been on a downward trajectory. “There has been a 50-60% recovery since the business had fallen to almost zero, during Covid and the lockdown. But the business graph is still not vibrant. We had a monthly business of around ₹10 lakh, which has now come down to nearly ₹5 lakh.”

The temple corridor, he said helped the retail business of the sarees but the effect on wholesale business was almost negligible.

Jamal Ansari is also hopeful of a ‘business bounce back’ after Diwali. “We have recovered 40% of our business since Covid. On average, we get a demand of 60-90 sarees, which is almost double that in 2021.”

The 32-year-old has employed 10 workers who work for around 10-12 hours. They are paid anywhere between ₹200 to ₹400 per day.

Weaving for life

Seated beside her ‘visibly old’ weaving machine in a dilapidated hutment 60-year-old Rajkumari is finishing off work on an intricately designed red-coloured saree. The saree is priced at ₹8,000 but she will get ₹1500 for her labour.

“This is the costliest saree that I have done in my life,” she says with a smile. Rajkumari took up the weaving profession at the age of 25 simply out of desperation. “I had no other choice. There was a financial hardship and I had to feed my two boys,” the 60-year-old says.

She spends 4-5 hours daily on the machine, earns around ₹10,000 per month and is able to weave 8-9 handloom sarees in a month. “Even during the Covid time, I was working and weaving sarees. Of course, the numbers were less, but there was never a break in my work,” she says.

Migration woes

According to the 2019-2020 census, there were 17,062 weavers and 9,562 allied workers in Benaras. During Covid times, many weavers migrated to the adjoining areas. According to official sources, the demand for handloom sarees has increased but the supply has not been in sync with this. The weavers still use manual jacquards, although there has been a small shift towards digital jacquards.

The government is giving a 90% subsidy on digital jacquards but the beneficiaries are very limited. Besides, a lot of training is needed for the weavers to shift to a technology platform.

Ishrat Usmani says the purchasing power of middle-class people has gone down drastically. “The road to market recovery is a long, arduous journey. We have just been able to recover around 30%.”

Way Forward

Usmani says a textile park should be made in Varanasi for understanding the supply-demand chain, and problems of weavers and setting up a Bunkar Welfare Department for addressing the health and financial needs of the weavers.

Mohammad Shariq, who is the seventh generation in the family business, is not positive on the business graph. “The handloom sarees are facing a severe survival crisis. I have been able to recover only 30% of my business. The demand is there but the supply has waned. There is a lot of disenchantment among the weavers and they have migrated to other places.”

Yasmin, a handloom entrepreneur, says the main challenge is the young generation is not interested in the business. Raw material and marketing are two other major challenges.

“The government must initiate schemes to excite the young crowd towards weaving.”

Reflecting hope

But there is also a segment exuding hope. “There has been almost 90% recovery of my business,” says Amresh Kushwaha, the chairman of the Handloom Cooperative Society. Kushwaha, who has been in the business for more than 40 years, says he could somehow manage to pay his employees even during the pandemic. His sarees range from ₹20,000 to ₹3 lakh. “I am very optimistic about the saree business in Benaras.”

Banarasi beauties

Butidaar Saree

A rich tradition of Varanasi and one of the finest sarees in India is known for its gold and silver work on silk. This saree has a small ‘Butti’ all over the surface. Its spot designs are woven either with Karhuwa technique, which is very labour-intensive and requires high skill or fekhwa (throw shuttle) technique, which is less time-consuming. The design is woven on conventional Banaras handloom jacquard and sometimes with jala, pagia & naka attachments to create motifs. The design is mainly inspired by a floral or geometric pattern.

Cutwork

Varanasi had emerged as the most important centre for patterned silk weaving in the subcontinent. Banarasi cutwork saree is produced by clipping the extra floating threads lying loose back side of the fabric. It is an attempt to imitate the look of designing of highly labour-intensive ‘karhuwa’ technique and produces comparatively low-cost fabrics in bigger quantities. It is woven on a traditional throw shuttle pit loom, with the attachment of jacquard or jala, pagia and naka. Designs are created by using extra weft yarn.

Rangkat

Rangkat is a traditional saree of Varanasi in which the designs are generally woven in diagonal patterns. The saree’s speciality is that ground and designs are in contrast with each other. It requires high skills and is time-consuming. It is generally woven by the karhuwa technique of weaving.

Sikargah

Banaras Jangla or Sikargah is a traditional saree of Varanasi, which have scenes of hunting (Sikar) all over the surface. Because of this unique hunting pattern, it is termed as Jangla or Sikargah saree. It is woven in pure silk yarn. Silver and gold yarn/zari is used in extra weft for design patterning. Jangla sarees are generally woven with colourful silk threads. Wildly spreading as well as scrolling designs are the significant features of Jangla sarees.