Banarasi Brocade
Abdul Karim
Madanpura, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Silk brocades with kadhua butis, each motif woven in by hand.
Abdul Karim weaves Banarasi silk on a jacquard-assisted handloom, using the kadhua technique in which every motif is woven separately with its own shuttle.
- 35
- years weaving
- 7
- family members supported
- 3
- pieces for sale
At the loom with Abdul
Abdul Karim, Banarasi Brocade
The film is being edited and will appear here.
Abdul's story
Abdul's family has woven in Madanpura for five generations. His father's looms once employed twenty people; by 2015 only two were running.
He refused to move to power looms. Instead he narrowed his work to smaller pieces — stoles, cushion covers and table runners — that let buyers own genuine handwoven Banarasi without the price of a bridal saree.
With the collective he now sells year-round instead of only in the wedding season, and two of his nephews have come back to weave.
“Every buti is a small prayer. You cannot hurry a prayer.”
Woven by Abdul
70% of every sale here goes to Abdul.