 VARANASI: While many political parties in Uttar Pradesh perceive the State as a big political theatre divided on communal lines, it is industries like Banarasi Sari industry that play a vital role in reducing the impact of communal divide said Shyam Kumar Panday, a Banarasi sari merchant here on April 21. A visit to any Banarasi sari-weaving unit in Varanasi showcases Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs contribute at the workplace without making religion an issue. Banarasi silk industry has an equal number of Hindu and Muslim textile artisans working together to create magnificent designs, providing joy for a lifetime to a bride-to-be or women during a special occasion. Working from generation to generation to rekindle the spirit of communal harmony by personal examples of co-existence despite separate personal faiths. It is believed that over 500, 000 weavers, dyers, sari polishers and traders in and around Varanasi are engaged in the Banarasi silk industry to strengthened bonds of existing communal harmony. Mr. Pandey said that both Hindus and Muslims weavers work on the processing of saris. Hindus work on the motif part. This tradition has been a major factor for communal harmony here. If anything happens, Muslims stand for their Hindus brethrens. There are many Sikhs and Muslim businessmen who have strong business relations. These artisans work together right from spinning silk yarn to threading and assembling the weaving looms, lending final touches to the finished products and exploring the markets. A majority of the wholesale traders happen to be Hindus. while the weavers are mostly Muslims. The six-yards of shimmering silk is quite the metaphor for Varanasi's composite culture. It said that, in Kashi, for Banarasi sari Hindu is warp and the Muslim is weft. According to scriptures of both Hindus and Buddhists, which paved the way for the Banarasi sari to emerge as an artistic industry during the Mughal era in the 16th century. The Banarasi sari has come into existence during the period of Saint Kabir (1440-1518) because he was a weaver by profession. With every passing year, despite the plethora of designer-ware trends hitting the fashion market, Banarasi saris have not been eclipsed. On the contrary, these saris have further strengthened their mystique presence in the wardrobes of the Indian women. Gulshan Nanda, chairperson Cottage Industries, said that the most immediate problem is their dependence on Chinese yarn as their own sericulture industry is not yet able to meet the demand for yarn. The situation today is such that they do not want their finished goods but cannot survive without their yarn. The government needs to regulate the balance of import duties to prevent so much Chinese fabric from coming into India. The AIACA study recommends branding Benarasi saris to market them more effectively. It also urges the government and NGOs to create and promote structures that allow weavers to directly engage with the market. And this is something that emerged most strongly in the three days He spent with the Benarasi silk weaving community -much of the exploitation that weavers undergo will be mitigated if they have the option of selling their products directly, he added.
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