Devdas Boosts Demand for Red-bordered Bengali Sari in Varanasi

          VARANASI: The demand for the traditional red-bordered white sari, a Bengal speciality, has increased three times since the release of Devdas, a film based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's famous novel.       

      This is because Aishwarya Rai, who plays the role of Parvati, wore it to a glamorous effect. While the demand is high across the country, it has specially picked up in Varanasi which has a high Bengali population. Everybody, from the rich to the middle class to the poor, wants to possess such a sari, made from a special kind of silk available only in Murshidabad. It is definitely expensive, costing more than Rs.1200.

      According to the manufacturers, the film has come as a boon for the industry. In Varanasi (UP) and Murshidabad (West Bengal), they have been flooded with orders. The prospective buyers stress hat they want exact copies of the one worn by Rai. Pradeep Kumar, a shopkeeper, said, "This is a traditional sari, used for Puja purposes, and especially Bengali women wear it. The film has given the demand a boost. Now not only Bengalis but Marwaris and other women wish to purchase it." He said the original sari is made only in Murshidabad but added that here "we make the cheaper variety which are available for just Rs 150-200 a piece."

          Renu Gupta, an eager buyer, remarked, "This sari is used in Durga Puja, it is auspicious ... and now because of the film it has become popular." While the original silk saris are taken by those who can afford it, the local businessmen have come up with a local version made from cheaper silk which are available for as low as Rs 150.

          During the Puja, men also wear it as a dhoti. However, the priests are not amused by the hype over the film and the sari, saying they have been using it for ages while the film is a late entrant. "As far as the picture is concerned, we have not taken the style from them, they have taken it from us," Purshottam Panday, a devotee said.

          In Hindu culture, red colour is considered auspicious and white is the symbol of purity. In Bengal the white sari with red border is worn in all traditional households. Now even Varanasi is fast becoming a mini-Kolkota as about seven lakh Bengalis live there. After West Bengal, this is the second place where this sari is most popular.

August 20, 2002