Varanasi Weavers

Many looms are lying silent today and many have even been sold off. The devoted weaver is no longer able to spend days creating beauty and the compulsion of modern life has pulled him out of his doorstep and right into seeking any available livelihood. As the traditional sari has been pushed to a side of the wardrobe of the modern woman, so have these weavers been pushed to the fringe of their community.

Why has the weaver ended up in this rut?

The answer lies in the surge that is conquering the world – Globalisation and it does not wait. One of the main reasons is the product itself. The Silk Sari is not the main attire any longer and is reserved for special occasions like marriage. One of the other key reasons is that the market is constantly being flooded by cheap machine made substitutes from other countries. These are cheaper in price and quality, are poor pretenders of the regal Banarasi silk and yet find a great market amongst the modern day shoppers who cannot tell the difference.

The compulsion of earning for their families looms large and many weavers have entered into professions like rickshaw pulling or construction labour, and many are beginning to forget the art itself. The weaving skill is traditionally passed down generations and that keeps it alive. However, nowadays, the younger generation is not able to find it feasible to follow the family tradition anymore.