Weavers look for trendy designs as festivals near
A weaver knitting an embroidered 'dotari silk' sari designed by Nilkomol Basak at Pathrail in Tangail district as the trendy items produced in the area are of great demand ahead of the Eid and Puja festivals.Photo: STAR
Every year, the weavers of Tangail offer something new on the occasion of Eid and Puja, the biggest festivals of Muslims and Hindus. Traditional Tangail sari is still the first choice of a large number of women on any occasion as the weavers are adept in making changes in their designs, keeping up with the current trends. Weavers in Tangail produce different qualities and kinds of saris including cotton, jamdani, silk, half silk, khaddar etc. Several weavers in Tangail said that they produce casual handloom saris as well as more expensive ones, with prices ranging from Tk 200 to Tk 10,000 and so on. Their products meet the demand of people from all classes and backgrounds. It is necessary to bring about changes in the designs and colours every season to keep up with changing trends and tastes of customers, said Raghunath Basak, a weaver of Pathrail, also president of Tangail Taant Sari Traders' Association. Innovative designs and patterns introduced by Raghunath for jamdani, dotari silk, half silk and jute cotton saris are already drawing attention of the consumers. Prices of jamdani, dotari silk and half silk saris range from Tk 1000 to Tk 4000. Nilkomol Basak, another weaver of Pathrail, has also introduced his new designs on jute silk, jamdani, dotari silk and half silk saris on the occasion of Eid and Puja. He has unveiled his jute silk, jamdani, dotari silk and half silk saris. Prices of jute silk saris range from Tk 3,500 to Tk 6,000. Some of his work features anchal (end) and paar (border) embroidered with jori (golden thread). Alpona (motif) adorn the cotton and half silk ones. Block prints also seem to be popular this season. Most of the saris introduced this season feature shades of magenta, ash, black, red, yellow, orange, violet, white blue, saffron and green. "Tangail saris remain popular, thanks to the innovation of the local weavers. Weavers in other parts of the country tried to emulate the style of Tangail weavers but the quality and variety of Tangail saris remain matchless," Raghunath Basak said. Sale of Tangail products sees a boost on the occasion of two of the biggest festivals in the country, as these traditional items with varied designs and flexible prices continue to attract increasing number of buyers from home and abroad. Around 3,50,000 workers are employed in around 75,000 handloom units in the district to meet the demand ahead of Eid and Puja, said sources at Tangail Weavers Rehabilitation Organisation.
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