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Banaras is one of the rich weaving craft centre of India, famous for Brocade Saris and allover dress material. Exclusive varieties of the saris are Jangla, Tanchoi, Vaskat, Cutwork, Tishu, and Butidar which are made of silk warp and silk weft, on plain/satian ground base, brocaded with extra weft patterns in different layouts introducing Buties, Bells, creepers, Buttas in ground, border and Anchal for getting glamour appearance.

As in the History of the India Banaras is known since Rig-Veda about 1500 year 2000 year BC and also a period of Ramayana and Mahabharata come to know identical reference about the fame of Banarasi Saree and Fabrics as known Hiranya Vastra (Putamber Vastra).

In the ancient time Banaras was famous for the weaving of cotton Saree and dress materials, but slowly switched over to silk weaving, during the Mughal period around 14th century weaving of brocades with intricate designs using gold & Silver threads called "Jari"  was the specialty of Banaras.

Brocade refer to those textiles where in patterns are created in weaving by transfixing or thrusting the pattern-thread between the warp. In regular weaving the weft thread passes over and under the warp thread regularly. But when brocade designs in gold, silver silk or cotton threads are to be woven, special threads are transfixed in between by skipping the passage of the regular weft over a certain number of warp threads (depending upon the pattern) and by regularizing the skipping by means of pre-arranged heddles for each type of patterning. There may be several sets of heddles so arranged that on different occasions, they raise and depress irregular number of threads in turn, as required by the exigencies of the pattern.

Zari-brocades-When gold and silver threads are use along with or without silk-threads, thrust either as special weft or warp to create glittering raised ornamentation. We have the Zari brocade kind of fabrics. When we talk of gold or silver threads, it is to be under stood that the gold, threads are actually only silver threads with gold polish and that these threads are obtained by closely winding extremely fine gold or silver wire around a silk thread.

According to Sir George Watt, When the gold and silver threads were used so densely that the ground was hardly visible, the material was kinkhab proper and was too heavy for clothing, it was therefore used for trappings, hangings and furnishing. Only that material in which the Zari patterns were scattered was true brocade. This was used for clothing.

BANARAS SILK JAMDANI :-
The silk Jamdani, a technical variety of brocade or the 'figured Muslim' ,traditionally woven in Banaras may be considered to be one of the finest products to come out of  the Banarasi loom. Here silk fabric is brocaded with cotton and rarely with zari threads. Jamdani is woven by transfixing the pattern thread between a varying number of warp threads in proportion to the size of the designed then throwing the shuttle to pass the regular weft. By repeating this process, where in the size and placing of the cut-thread is in accordance with the character of the pattern, the Jamdani weaver produces arrange of intricate designs.

Some of the traditional motifs of Jamdani included Chameli (Jas mine), Panna hazar (Thousand emeralds) genda buti (marigold flower)pan buti (leaf form) tircha (diagonally striped) etc. The most attractive design feature of the Jamdani sari was konia or a corner-motif having a floral mango buta.

It has own special character of (URTU) Binding in the figured designs on ground fabrics using extra weft designs thread dampatch technique for the ornamentation of the sharee. It is silk x silk base fabrics ornamented with extra looking and technique of weaving in karhuwan.

   JANGLA SAREE :-
Brocade weavers of Banares have often endeavored to add a sense of gaiety and festivity by brocading patterns in colorful silk threads amidst the usual gold and silver motifs; of the brocade convention. The present sari is an example in which munga silk motifs have been in laid. Jangala wildly scrolling and spreading vegetation motif is among the eldest in Banares brocades. This old rose sari is embellished with beautifully contrasted gold-creepers and silver flowers of the Jangala motif. The borders have brocaded running creepers in munga silk and gold and silver-Zari threds. The end panel is a combination of motifs of the borders and condensed Jangala of the field. Munga silk brocading enhances the beauty of the sari while reducing the cost. All over Jal Jangla design to get the stylish work of the sarees and also used mena work for the decoration of the fabrics. The exclusive design saree has time taking skilled work, costly fabrics are widely accepted during the wedding occasion.

          JAM WAR TANCHOI SARI :-
Using a technique similar to that of brocade, weavers of Banaras weave saris using colorful extra weft silk yarn for patterning. These varieties are known as Tanchoi. This maroon-colored sari in satin weave is brocaded with elaborate motifs from the Jamawar shawl tradition from Kashmir, the characteristic feature of which was paisley motif, often elaborated into a maze which would look kateidos-copic in character. The field has a densely spread minute diaper of Jamawar style paisley. The end panel has large motifs of multiple paisley forms-one growing out of the other. The border, as well as the cross-borders of the end panel, has miniature paisley creepers. Tanchoi fabric has remarkable fame in the India as well as all over in the world widely acceptable to all kind of the people.

          TISSU SAREE :-
The renowned Zari brocade weavers of Banaras have evolved a technique of weaving tissue material which looked like golden cloth. By running Zari in weft a combination of Zari and silk in extra-weft (pattern thread) and silk in warp, the weave of this sari has densely patterned with golden lotuses floating in a glimmering pond. The 'drops of water' are created by cut work technique. The borders and the end panel have a diaper of diamond patterns enclosed by a border of running paisley motifs. Tissue saris are most popular as wedding saris among the affluent. Tissue sari has glazed, shining character due to the use of real gold Zari/Silver Zari in weft on silk warp ground are ornamented with the particulars traditional design such as Jangla Butidar, Shikargah menadar etc.

          CUTWORK SAREE :-
This type of saree prepared by cut work technique on plain ground texture after removing of the floated thread which are not design (Woven) during the weaving process which provide good transparent look.

Cut work is the cheaper version of the Jamdani variety. In cut work the ;pattern is made to run from selvage to selvage letting it hang loosely between two motifs and the extra-thread is then cut manually, giving the effect of Jamdani.

          BUTIDAR SAREE :-
The most striking feature of this dark blue silken saree is that it is brocaded with pattern threads of gold, silver and silk. Due to darker shade of gold and lighter of silver this variety of patterning in brocade is conventionally known as Ganga-Jamuna, indicating the confluence of these two river whose waters are believed to be dark and light receptively. The end panel has a row of arches, in each of which a bouquet of flowers is placed. A slightly smaller and variegated bouquet is diapered all over the field.

The butidar saree is a rich kind of the Banaras Saree in high traditional pattern and motif of the design locally popularized such as Angoor Bail, Gojar Bail, Luttar Bail, Khulta bail, Baluchar bail, Mehrab bail, Doller butti,Ashraffi Butti, Latiffa Butti, Reshem Butti Jhummar Butti,Jhari Butta, Kalma Butti,Patti Butti, Lichhi Butti, Latiffa Butta, Kairy Kalanga Thakka Anchal, Mehrab Anchal, Baluchar Butta with the use of real gold and silver Jari and Katan silk in the weft.

Source : Varanasi.nic.in

“Handloom has become live grave for weavers”
Edited by :Bijo Francis,AHRC and Dr. Lenin,PVCHR

INTRODUCTION:
Trade liberalization is the driving force of economic globalization, pursued relentlessly by rich nations and international financial institutions at the expense of the poor world.

When trade protection is liberalized too much or too quickly, imports climb steeply as new products flood in and cheaper, better-marketed goods price out local producers. Exports also tend to grow, but by less, restricted by relatively low demand for typical developing country exports – such as raw materials. As a result, local producers sell less than before trade was liberalized and short term gains to consumers are wiped out in the long term as incomes fall and unemployment rises. This has been the story of sub-Saharan Africa and other regions over the past 20 years.
The rich countries that dominate the IFIs(International Finance Institutions) and negotiations at the World Trade liberalization policies will improve the plight of the poor in developing countries. They claim, for example, that lowering developing countries’ barriers to trade in manufactured goods. As proposed in the WTO’s ongoing non-agricultural market access (NAMA) negotiations, would translate into poverty reduction by boosting economic growth, prices and employment opportunities. In fact, there is now substantial evidence to back up NGO’s longstanding claims that rapid liberalization policies actually cause a net loss for low and middle-income countries.
UNCTAD recently concluded from a study of the relationship between trade liberalization and poverty in the world’s poorest countries that: “ the incidence of poverty increased unambiguously in those economies that adopted the most open trade regimes.”

Time has come to intervene. Time has to take positions. Time has come when we cannot dabble. Time will not wait for us. Before, our Government goes and signs agreements(AoA,NAMA,GATS) in the WTO Ministerial Meeting in Hongkong,13-18 December,2005 and barters the sovereignty of our country, we need intervene.
Some basic facts (need to be in conjunction with WTO-WB-IMF, hand-in-glove operations):
• US itself gives subsidies to its corporate agribusinesses and demands us to stop subsidies to our poor farmers.
• Privatisation of services (health, education, water, power….) is happening in a big way.
• Livelihoods are getting destroyed in a brazenly.
• While India's gradual approach to trade liberalisation clearly has contributed to increasing growth in some sectors in recent years and saved the country from serious de-industrialisation as experienced by many other developing countries that had no choice but to follow the 'big bang approach to liberalisation' advocated by the World Bank and the IMF economic reform has been no painless experience for small scale manufactures concentrated in India's traditional sectors of mass employment. Both in textiles and leather many people have lost their livelihoods and those still employed have seen their wages and conditions of work deteriorate.
• India is under pressure to liberalise its tariffs on industrial goods at the WTO
• The US and the EU have a strong interest in increasing market access to large developing country markets like India, Brazil and China and they are pushing hard for this to be realised in current NAMA negotiations at the WTO.
The negative impact of drastic reductions in India's industrial tariffs as a consequence of NAMA will be significant for large sections of India manufacturing industry .
“Handloom has become live grave for weavers.”It was said by a women weaver on the occasion of death anniversary of Savitri Ba Pule on 10 March,2003.Meanwhile within two years 39 weavers have lost their lives in Varanasi district as reported in local newspapers.One can speculate that there might be so many other deaths which go unnoticed .As we know that imperialistic globalisation is going to affect all walks of life deeply in Indian society.Some steps have already been taken in this direction.Structural adjustment program is being introduced under the pressure and direction of IMF which is affecting weaving industry and other public sectors.Poor weavers have been losing their jobs because of slow down of market and facing starvation.In remote country side areas around Varanasi city thousands of weavers were applied for weaving work,but today most of them have lost their jobs and starvation deaths are taking place in those areas.
Trade liberalisation in India - the true story

A brief history of reforms
India set about to drastically reform its economy in the early 1990s. Serious balance of payment difficulties demanded a change in economic policy and like in most other developing countries guided by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) structural adjustment and liberalisation became the order of the day. Public enterprises were privatised and public investment was cut back while production levels, interest rates, exchange rates and prices were left to be determined by the market.
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Amazing Facts about India and Indians!

1. India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilization.
2. The official Sanskrit name for India is Bharat.
3. India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
4. India is the world's largest democracy.
5. Varanasi, also known as Benares, was called "the ancient city" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C.E, and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.
6. India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
7. The World's first university was established in Takshashila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
8. Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages. Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987.
9. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. Today Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in our civilization.
10. Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India wasthe richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth.
11. The art of Navigation was born in the river Sindhu 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit 'Nou'.
12. Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days.
13. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century long before the European mathematicians.
14. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10**53(10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 BCE during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera 10**12(10 to the power of 12).
15. IEEE has proved what has been a century old suspicion in the world scientific community that the pioneer of wireless communication was Prof. Jagdish Bose and not Marconi.
16. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
17. According to Saka King Rudradaman I of 150 CE a beautiful lake called Sudarshana was constructed on the hills of Raivataka during Chandragupta Maurya's time.
18. Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.
19. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical equipment were used. Deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many texts.
20. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization).
21. The four religions born in India, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.
22. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.
23. India is one of the few countries in the World, which gainedindependence without violence.
24. India has the second largest pool of Scientists and Engineers in the World.
25. India is the largest English speaking nation in the world.
26. India is the only country other than US and Japan, to have built a super computer indigenously.
27. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism, physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.
28. Following facts were published in a German Magazine which deals with world history. (I couldn't find out the name of that German Magazine, if you find please let me know.)
38% of Doctors in America are Indians.
12% of Scientists in America are Indians.
36% of NASA employees are Indians.

34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
28% of IBM employees are Indians.
17% of Intel employees are Indians.
13% of Xerox employees are Indians.

29. The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.
30. Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world. ( Source . Gemological Institute of America).
32. The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after levelling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.
33. The largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system, employing over a million people !
34. India has the most post offices in the world !
35. The game of snakes & ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat.' The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. Later through time, the game underwent several modifications but the meaning is the same i.e good deeds take us to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.
36. The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara temple at Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The shikhara is made from a single ' 80-tonne ' piece of granite. Also, this magnificient temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola
37. The first six Mogul Emperor's of India ruled in an unbroken succession from father to son for two hundred years, from 1526 to 1707.
38. India, home to more than one billion people, constitutes for 18% of the world's population.
39. India is the biggest diamond-cutting center for small roughs. These diamonds are eventually sold in shops on Fifth Avenue.
40. Acknowledged that the concept of zero, crucial to the development of the science, is India's contribution to the world, which was given to Europe through the Arabs. In the Ganita Sara Samgraha, 850 A.D., Mahaviracharya, the greatest Jain mathematician mentions the significance of zero. In the fifth century BC Brahmagupta became the first mathematician to solve the Pellian equation. A century later, Aryabhatta arrived at the most accurate value of the mathematical constant, Pi, in the Gitikapada. The Bakhsali manuscript, written in the third or fourth century BC, on 72 leaves of birch bark, is an exclusively mathematical text that presents rules, illustrated instances and solutions to geometric, algebraic and arithmetical problems. In the Kalpasutras, penned in 290 BC, Bhadrabahu solved the Pythagorean theorem. The mathematical genius of the Jains was so developed that their highest numeral was a forerunner of the Alef zero of modern-day mathematics.
41. Dating from the Vedic period, the Neem plant is considered to be very auspicious, not only for it's medicinal values, but also for it's use in religious rites. Neem is also revered for it's unmatched use as a biologically sound pesticide and an air purifier. The magical properties of the neem have now been revealed to the world
42. Yoga is highly relevant in the modern day context. With tension and stress becoming a part of our daily life ‘Yoga’ enables us to achieve self-realistion in a systematic manner. By helping the union of the body with the mind and the mind with the soul, it creates the ultimate symphony of life. Different forms of yoga i.e. -Hatha yoga, Raja yoga, Karma yoga, Bhakti yoga, Jnana yoga, Mantra yoga and Laya yoga- provides the finest system of education and brings out the best in a person
43. The caste system was created as an means for providing social status in the community. A family's caste was determined by the family's main occupation. The classifications of the caste system are: Brahman (the priest), Kshatriya (the warrior), Vaisya (the trader), and Sudra (the laborer).
44. India is one of the biggest players in the international fashion arena. Buyers such as Macys, Levi's, Wrangler, etc. all folk to India for its vast array of cloths and prints.
45. Since the beginning of history the Ganges (THE GANGA, Holy River) has been a precious source of water in the hot climate of India, providing water for drinking, irrigation, bathing, and most recently, electrical energy. For providing such sustenance the river is worshipped by millions of Indian as Mother Ganges. By bathing in the Ganges, one can wash away all sins and begin again, cleansed from the imperfections of the past
46. Kamasutra, This ancient text on sexual love, was written by Vatsyayana in the mid-4th century. The text was made accessible to the English-speaking world by the orientalist Sir Richard Burton. It is essentially a philosophy on love and how to achieve happy and harmonius relationships, especially between husband and wife.
47. The first Indian-made feature film (3700 feet long) was released in 1913. It was made by Dadasaheb Phalke and was called Raja Harishchandra. Based on a story from the Mahabharata it was a stirring film concerned with honour, sacrifice and mighty deeds. From then on many "mythologicals" were made and took India by storm. Phalke's company alone produced about a hundred films.
48. The arc-shaped Himalayas extend along the entire northern boundary of India and carve just as far across the Indian subcontinent as they do deeply into the life around them. The term "Himalaya" -- a Sanskrit word meaning "the Abode of Snow" -- was coined by the Indian pilgrims who traveled in these mountains in ancient times. For centuries, the inhabitants of India have been fascinated by this mountain chain. The feeling is a mixture of admiration, awe and fear; and for the Hindus of India, the Himalayas are also "the Abode of God". There are numerous pilgrim routes that have brought the Hindu pilgrims to these mountains since time immemorial.

India in Guinness World Records

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