Banarasi Silk: The Timeless Allure Of Handcrafted Piece Of History

Banarasi silk has always ruled the trousseau of an Indian bride since decades. The varied patterns, buttis, have intrigued and lured Indian women at large, not just the brides. Sarees, dupattas, lehengas have always been in demand. Today you see trousers, short tops, blouses, skirts, wraps… and what nots being made from Banarasi silk.

The fabric came into limelight, yet again, thanks to the Great Fat Indian Wedding that recently concluded in the commercial capital of the country.

As I walked into Warp n Weft, memories of the old, small shop flood my mind and it takes a while to take in the new décor, expansive floor with innumerable rolls of Banarasi fabrics and sarees on the walls and the fabrics, sketches spread on the table. I browse through the intricate patterns on the fabrics and the sketches while I wait for the mother and daughter duo to come. Notes of Indian classical music keep me company and soothe my senses.

Gaurika is dressed in chinos and a muslin banarasi jamdani top. While Sagarika adorns a plain with border saree with a heavy blouse. Sagarika was honoured, recently, on the Handloom Day, by the Ministry of Textiles for her contribution.

What started in 1997 as a passion and hobby driven venture by Sagarika Rai, today is a booming business that Sagarika’s daughter Gaurika has joined recently. “It all started as a young girl in Banaras, my mum used to always wear sarees to work every day,” says Sagarika Rai, the founder of Warp n Weft. “And I think that was my first inspiration and introduction to what textile is.”

Sagarika went on to studying physics and math, but her calling always remained to be textiles, quite unknown to her for a very long time. “My first introduction as a teenager into the gallies of Banaras, where I've used to just be with traders. But it was like my eyes were feasting and slowly it was all kind of becoming an integral part of me, which came out as my choice of profession later in life,” Sagarika reminisces.

For Sagarika, the journey was more personal. When she shifted to Mumbai after marriage, she came with an inventory of her own sarees. “It was more after Gaurika’s birth… when I was alone at home in Bombay… talking to myself… did I think of bringing these textiles to Bombay. Having said that in Bombay, at that point, I mean, today there are still claimants of hand woven around us, but in 1997 there was really nobody. Especially nobody sold Banarasi dupattas.”

Most complimented her when they saw her collection and wondered where she procured it from. When she saw the demand, she tapped her trader resources in Banaras and opened a small shop at Marine Lines where she went with Gaurika in tow. “Gaurika played around with the fabrics and her toys while I attended the customers. I added sarees to the collection three to four years later.”

Today, the toddler is adding her own bit to the business after her MBA. “She brought her generation sensibilities to the table,” says Sagarika like a proud mother. “She is the creative one, I am more the marketing kind,” Gaurika smiles. “I believe that there’s never enough marketing.”

Gaurika admits that her first task was to attract the younger crowd to the weave. “I offered options other than sarees and dupattas. Mum always had fabrics… I just gave them different attributes,” she says while showing the lehengas, skirts, blouses, dresses, etc. that she had designed.

“Fabric and sari designs are inspired by traditions and something new that I see or touches my heart,” tells Sagarika. “I sit with my weavers with sketches, explain them the design… We have given new look to some old designs where we weave the traditional in a new way or a different colour.”

“For example,” chips in Gaurika. “Our version of Shikargah has no human motives. Only animals, animals that are auspicious. The weaving pattern is traditional. But motives are a little different.”

One of Sagarika’s inspirations comes from her husband’s hobby – wildlife photography. “One night while I was looking at my husband’s computer, this one tiger cub’s photo captivated my attention. On my next trip to Banaras I showed my weavers the photo, sketched the weave pattern, discussed the loom and weft sizes and got it done. I knew it couldn’t be a saree. So, it had to be woven differently. I visualized it as a stole or shirt front and we got it woven accordingly.”

Quite often the Sagarika and Gaurika get the fabric woven keeping the end result in mind. “This one for example, it has three parts as you can see… they were woven differently changing the cards and wefts for top, bottom and dupatta, though it is a running as one fabric,” Sagarika explains.

Every fabric and every saree have a story to tell at Warp n Weft. Be it Rangkat, Minakari, Jungla, Brocade or Jamdani.

“You are right when you say each piece has a story. We believe and follow that. Each piece is delivered with a card that tells you the story of that piece. And I have been doing that for last 25 years,” says Sagarika.

“Finally, it is an heirloom that’s passed one – be it a saree or a lehenga,” concludes Gaurika.