Sarees have become the pride and vanity of so many women from many walks of life of the countries across the Eastern world and even in some Western countries. Wearing sarees women look more graceful, prettier, lovelier, more charming, tender, modest and delicate. In a word, sarees are such a piece of dress for the ladies that wearing it women look more feminine. There are no other sole dresses in the world anywhere that make ladies more feminine. And, this artifact of Bengal is unique and unparallel in this context.
Banarasi has become the most attractive dress for Bengali wedding programs. The bride’s number one choice is the Banarasi saree. And before the wedding program, the bridegroom looks for splendid Benaroshi sarees to make his bride look more gorgeous. Nowadays, the lehenga is also found in Benaroshi fabric and many brides choose to wear Benarosi lehenga for their wedding function.
There is a large local Benarosi village in the heart of Dhaka city. Regular buyers; even from an overseas country well know where is it exactly situated in Dhaka, yes; it is nearby Mirpur 11 and Mirpur 10 number areas, and called Banarasi Polli. There are more than 100 shops and outlets in this local village. There is another village behind i.e. toward the East of Mirpur 11 bus-stand and it is called Adi BEnarosi Polli meaning Orginal Bearosi Village. It is called so because the business of the saree industry started from here. Other shops are also found outside the village and those are mostly seen avenue five areas which are a bit behind Mirpur 11. Most of the shops are scattered at avenue five.
It has been heard that 300 families came to Dhaka’s Mirpur from India’s BEnaros during the partition of the Indian continent in 1947. The 300 families actually brought the Banarasi craft industry culture to Bangladesh. It has been informed that sometimes Banarasi Sarees for Bollywood movies are taken from Mirpur.
Basically, Banarasi sarees are available in four patterns – Shatir, Georgette ( Lace and Silk), Pure Silk, Organza (Coral). There are other styles like vaskat, sabyasachi, tanchoi, zardosi, and jangla Benarasi. On design trait, major parts of the Banarosi sarees are weaving of Jori thread by hand. But, the magnificent key for its splendour is the visual effect of the silver and gold brocade. Another amazing characteristic of Banarosi make is the manual hand-propelled bamboo wheel mill. This is why the embroidery of Banarasi is so unique, skilful and perfect. And more worthy to bye than machine-made sarees. Saree lovers are nowadays inclining toward newly developed the old jewel fabric craft “the Moslin” of undivided Bengal. And keeping this in the head, Banarasi makers are now the Banarasi Muslin.
Banarasi is a unique and very popular industry in Bengal for a long. However, the industry is now under threat and on the verge of business, loss to collapse due to fake and cheaper Indian and Pakistani sarees aggression. The shopkeepers complain that government does not take any initiative to save this indigenous fabric industry. Government should come ahead to patron this vulnerable industry with subsidies and after all, the government should take major steps to support this industry, in reality, i.e. there should capital investment and a new project to save the almost shut down hand-driven mills of Benarsi sarees. Being painful, a shopkeeper was telling us what would we do if customers want Indian sarees in this indigenous market of Bwnraseee. Here is an effect of watching an Indian drama serial like star jalsa by many women who lost their senses and ask for those sarees in such an indigenous market. On the other hand, the government need to restrict the border to stop smuggling on the borders.
