Rangkat to Hawa Mahal, the story of unique Banarasi saris
The Hindu
Saeed Ur Rahman, one of the prominent masterweavers in Banaras, is confident that handlooms will continue to find patronage among those who want textiles of artistic quality
Saeed Ur Rahman, the Banarasi masterweaver who works with weavers across 800 looms, quotes lines from a Majrooh Sultanpuri poem when asked how he and his family grew from strength to strength and came to be known as one of the prominent Banarasi masterweavers:
“Main akela hi chala tha janib-e-manzil magar,
Log saath aate gaye karvan banta gaya.”
(I set off alone towards my destination, but people kept coming along and it became a caravan)
He was instrumental in founding the Taj Estate at Bhelupura, Varanasi, which has now become a go-to address for unique heirloom Banaras textiles. Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee is among those liaising with Rahman for custom-woven saris.
The masterweaver is in Hyderabad for an exhibition and talk at the Crafts Council of Telangana premises, CCT Spaces.
Saeed hails from a family of weavers whose speciality is in handwoven delicate organza, cotton and fine count silk. “We are a family of six brothers. During our grandfather’s time, the family used to weave and sell textiles. During my father’s time, our family went through a rough phase and the focus was on weaving, not marketing and selling,” he recounts during this brief interview with The Hindu. In later years, he introduced tussar and jute fibres in Banaras saris.