RANGPUR, Feb 8: Hundreds of extreme poor people in different villages of Gangachara upazila under the district have attained financial solvency by making Benarasi sarees in recent years.
Several hundreds of vulnerable people especially women in the upazila are directly engaged in weaving the popular sarees and thus they are supporting their families by earning around Tk 3,000 to Tk 4,000 per month.
Abdur Rahman owner of a Benarasi factory at Habu Tantipara village under the upazila said he has 32 handlooms. The sarees which they make are sold at different rate between Tk 1,500 to Tk 20,000 depending on qualities.
The creative weavers always introduce something new and come up with fashionable varieties of sarees on the eve of various festivals, she also said. They weave yarn and turn them into different qualities and kinds including 'Nakshi', 'Belbuti', 'Katan' and 'Fulkoli' which have high demands in different areas of the country, added.
Asma Begum of Soudpara village said she had been passing her days in extreme poverty even two years ago. Her husband was a farm labourer. She had to face difficulties in maintaining her family of five members with the petty amount of income of her husband.
In order to salvage their impoverished family she learned the skill of weaving Benarasi saree. She expressed her gratitude to the Fiyaz Benarasi Factory from where she received the training. Thus she found the way to get rid of acute poverty by contributing financially to her family income.
At present she weaves Benarasi saree as per designs and orders alongside her daily household chores, she added. Like Ratna many other rural vulnerable women in different villages under the upazila have changed their fortune by weaving Benarasi sarees.
Some artisans said they get Tk 500 to Tk 800 for manufacturing each saree. At least four to six days are needed to complete a saree. It depends on design and quality, they added.
"Earlier we passed days in near starvation but now we have changed our financial condition by weaving Benarasi saree as it has huge demand in the market", they added.
Talking to The Financial Express Farida Begum, owner of Fiyaz Benarasi Factory, said Benarasi saree weaving has become a blessing for the poor men and women of different areas in the upazila as it has provided them a way to earn their livelihood.
