Varanasi: Banaras silk saree weavers staring at crisis

VARANASI: The iconic Banaras handloom silk saree, a centuries-old cultural emblem of Varanasi, is confronting an unprecedented crisis. Once woven with painstaking precision and artistic pride, the traditional craft is now struggling for survival as rising production costs, dwindling artisan communities, and the dominance of powerlooms threaten to eclipse its legacy.

For 58-year-old Mohammed Ashraf, handloom weaving is not just an occupation but an inheritance carried across eight generations. Sitting before his loom in a narrow Varanasi lane, Ashraf admits he has never operated a powerloom. “For me, weaving means only handloom,” he told DT Next, his hands still moving instinctively across the threads. “Karwa weaving is memory work. It takes nearly two months to make a single six-metre saree. We use real silk and zari.”

Despite the craftsmanship, the returns are painfully low. Ashraf earns just around Rs 10,000 for two months of labour, a figure starkly overshadowed by the Rs 15,000 his son makes every month on a powerloom. “Around 25,000 families, nearly one lakh people, depend entirely on this sector. But if things continue like this, the traditional Banaras handloom saree will disappear in the next 10 years,” Ashraf said.

His plea is simple: “We need access to zari on credit. We cannot afford upfront costs. We trust only this craft for our livelihood.”

Adding to the anxieties is Nafiz Ahmed, another experienced weaver. He said that although bulk orders come from Tamil Nadu, the pricing structure remains deeply unfair. “We get just Rs 10,000 per saree. But the same saree is sold for anywhere between Rs 50,000 to Rs 4 lakh or even more,” he pointed out. “More than half of the weaving community here is Muslim. Almost 50 per cent of Muslims and 50 per cent of others all depend on this industry. The government must step in,” he told this newspaper.

Amid this generational struggle stands Shakeel Ahmed, Ashraf’s son, who deftly works both handlooms and powerlooms. Yet, he admits that the richness of handloom artistry is incomparable. “My father’s weaving has a uniqueness I cannot replicate. The finest and most intricate silk sarees still come only from handlooms,” he said.

Conscious of the mounting distress, the Varanasi administration says it is advancing welfare measures to safeguard the industry. Divisional Commissioner S Rajalingam, overseeing four districts including Varanasi, said nearly one lakh weavers remain part of the silk ecosystem.

“We provide subsidised 2 kW electricity connections, solar rooftop schemes, and low-tariff 2 hp to 5 hp motor connections at a base rate of Rs 900,” he told this correspondent. “A textile park is also in the pipeline. As profits increase, wages will rise. We are saturating weavers into SHGs, ensuring access to common clusters, offering daily wages, skill training and tool kits under the PM Vishwakarma scheme. Most weavers are being covered through welfare initiatives,” he explained.

Rajalingam insisted the administration is committed to promoting both industry growth and artisan welfare.