I am an anthropologist who has conducted deep research into saree production by men, women and children in the Bengal countryside. So my sari story is a bit different, as it involves a discussion of how saris are made. I wanted to share this important story with the widest possible audience, so I’m adding it to 100sareepact.com<\/p>\n
I own a gray nylon sari, hand-embroidered with swirling threadwork and raised
\ngray beads, and decorated along its border with silver sequins. I bought it from
\nRabiul Sheikh, an entrepreneur in the sari embroidery industry, from the riverside
\nvillage of Kulpi. Kulpi is located in the South 24 Parganas district, about
\nfifty miles from Kolkata. It is a central location from which sari embroidery is
\nspreading across large parts of rural Bengal. The Bengali term for the embroidery
\nindustry is zarir kaaj (metallic threadwork). Zarir kaaj refers to the work of
\nhand-embroidering saris with metallic thread, as well as beads, stones, and
\nsequins.
\nAfter buying the sari, I watched as Bani, a middle-aged woman from
\nPathor Protima island, handed Rabiul a large bundle of embroidered saris.
\nShe was returning the saris that she had collected from him a month earlier to
\nbe embroidered by family and friends in her village. She had taken two buses
\nand a boat to reach Kulpi, a seven-hour journey. Like Bani, thousands of
\nmen, women, and children across South 24 Parganas work in sari embroidery.
\nThese saris rarely sell in the villages where they are hand-embroidered.
\nRather, they are consumed in urban centers, where such embroidery is in
\ndemand.
\nTo read more about saree production, please see http:\/\/journals.cambridge.org\/repo_A986eYh3zpOS0U<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I am an anthropologist who has conducted deep research into saree production by men, women and children in the Bengal countryside. So my sari story is a bit different, as it involves a discussion of how saris are made. I wanted to share this important story with the widest possible audience, so I’m adding it…<\/p>\n