If you are proud of the rich Indian Benarasi silk sari, then beware of the fakes crowding the market. These copies are being imported from China and they are a threat to the consumers as well as sari weavers. Here's how you can identify the real from the fakes and save the Indian Benarasi silk saris.
What are the damages
Badruddin Ansari, a Benarasi silk sari weaver, says that most of his colleagues now struggle to make a living as vegetable sellers, tea stall operators or rickshaw drivers, according to a AFP report.
"I hope the art of making Banarasi saris will survive. The government must ban these imported saris or put a heavier duty on them to save the domestic industry," he said in an interview to AFP.
Rajni Kant, director of the Human Welfare Association, a non-profit group working with weavers in Varanasi since 1993, has witnessed the damage caused by Chinese imports. "To give just one example, a 55-year-old man I know started weaving at the age of 15. He quit the handloom three years ago and now works as a manual labourer. There are hundreds of thousands of people like him," he said. Kant estimates that more than 60% of the handloom industry has collapsed in Varanasi since 2003.
In 2007, reports emerged of weavers in Varanasi selling their blood to make ends meet as Chinese imitation saris flooded the market, costing about Rs. 2,500 rupees compared with at least Rs. 4,000 for an original.
How to identify the real Benarasi saris
Most customers who shop for Benarasi silk saris have little or no idea about how to spot the genuine from cheap fakes. So, here are a few helpful pointers from fashion designer Nikasha Tawadey:
1. Any garment that is hand-woven has a distinct warp-and-weft technique (according to wikipedia, the warp is the set of lengthwise yarns that are held in tension on a frame or loom. The yarn that is inserted over-and-under the warp threads is called the weft). When you look at the reverse side of a rich brocade Benarasi sari you will see that there are floats between the grids of warp-and-weft. This technique has to be hand-woven and no machine can replicate it.
2. Benarasi saris have typical Mughal patterns like the amru, ambi and damak. (See picture)
3. One of the most distinct characteristics of the Benarasi sari is, there's a plain silk patch of about six to eight inches left at the end of the pallu.
So, let's boycott the fakes and show your loyalty to India's Benarasi sari.
What are the damages
Badruddin Ansari, a Benarasi silk sari weaver, says that most of his colleagues now struggle to make a living as vegetable sellers, tea stall operators or rickshaw drivers, according to a AFP report.
"I hope the art of making Banarasi saris will survive. The government must ban these imported saris or put a heavier duty on them to save the domestic industry," he said in an interview to AFP.
Rajni Kant, director of the Human Welfare Association, a non-profit group working with weavers in Varanasi since 1993, has witnessed the damage caused by Chinese imports. "To give just one example, a 55-year-old man I know started weaving at the age of 15. He quit the handloom three years ago and now works as a manual labourer. There are hundreds of thousands of people like him," he said. Kant estimates that more than 60% of the handloom industry has collapsed in Varanasi since 2003.
In 2007, reports emerged of weavers in Varanasi selling their blood to make ends meet as Chinese imitation saris flooded the market, costing about Rs. 2,500 rupees compared with at least Rs. 4,000 for an original.
How to identify the real Benarasi saris
Most customers who shop for Benarasi silk saris have little or no idea about how to spot the genuine from cheap fakes. So, here are a few helpful pointers from fashion designer Nikasha Tawadey:
1. Any garment that is hand-woven has a distinct warp-and-weft technique (according to wikipedia, the warp is the set of lengthwise yarns that are held in tension on a frame or loom. The yarn that is inserted over-and-under the warp threads is called the weft). When you look at the reverse side of a rich brocade Benarasi sari you will see that there are floats between the grids of warp-and-weft. This technique has to be hand-woven and no machine can replicate it.
2. Benarasi saris have typical Mughal patterns like the amru, ambi and damak. (See picture)
3. One of the most distinct characteristics of the Benarasi sari is, there's a plain silk patch of about six to eight inches left at the end of the pallu.
So, let's boycott the fakes and show your loyalty to India's Benarasi sari.
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