Oh Kolkata Team
In West Bengal, sarees have their own unique demand among every bong woman with varieties of color and design preference! The bong way of draping saree is widely acclaimed across the world is perhaps the most unique one among all! Both the latest ‘Aat Poure’ and simple bong style draping of saree has been invented as an experiment in the middle of the 19th century by the women of the Great Tagore family among whom MRS. Gyanadanandini Devi played a key role in established the style as a fashion statement around Kolkata, as well as Bengal. With numerous experiments by several designers like Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Ritu Kumar, the special lady’s wear has become an all-time favorite for eminent personalities like Indira Gandhi, Rekha, Aparna Sen, Rani Mukharjee, and Vidya Balan! Let’s look at the bong variety of sarees that makes the textile industry of Bengal so diverse and vibrant altogether!
Bengali sarees are timeless beauties! No one can deny the fact at all. They are for ages and there is no restriction on wearing them at all! Bong sarees mainly made from cotton or pure silk materials can be connoted as the symbolic representation of Indian culture and tradition! If we talk about the Bengali Tannat sari then even a book can be written only to describe all its varieties along with the fine and comfortable quality! From Dhakai Jamdani to Shantipuri, Begumpuri, Dhaniakhali, Phulia, and Tangail, Bengal bears the credit for weaving varieties of cotton-based Tannat sarees! The beautiful weaving mixed with unique designs of threads and Zaris makes Bong Tannat sarees quite a unique and all-time favorite for evergreen bong beauties. As a cotton-based piece of cloth, Tannat is also quite comfortable to carry in extremely hot weather. The soothing and tender nature of these sarees has created such an impression among Bengali women throughout the ages that Tannat has become almost a symbolic presentation of Bengali women in every form of art and literature!
Tussar silk is one of the most traditional sarees that represents the reach cultural heritage of Bengal within its intricate weaving and designs. Made with raw silk moth threads, Tussar sarees represent the beauty and pride the Bengali textile industry possesses. Traditionally designed with silk threads and Zaris contemporary bong Tussar sarees are also designed with handprints and unmatched paintings!
Baluchari is one of the most illustrative Bengali sarees that can be connoted as a timeless showstopper! The material of traditional Baluchari is made from a fine mix of cotton and pure silk. The sarees are hand weaved and designed with much care to depict different scenes of Vaishnav Padabali with intricate details! The traditional sarees represent Indian cultural heritage in every weave and almost look like a screen depicting mythological events with illustrative details.
Bengali version of Kantha silk is quite different from the Kathiabar style Katha silk made upon 9 yards piece of Bangalore silk cloth piece. Bengali Kantha silk is a masterpiece representation of flawless artisans who depict several cultural and mythological events as well as weave unique designs with multicolored threads upon raw silk cloth pieces. There are varieties of Kantha silk (Padma Kantha, Pakhi Kantha, Golpo Kantha, etc.) each representing a unique sense of mastery over the art ever experienced in any other lady’s wear ever existed around the world.
Batik silk is perhaps one of the most sophisticated and elite representations of the wide variety of the Bengali textile industry. Popularized by MR. Rabindranath Tagore, in his abode of peace, Shantiniketan, Batik has become one of the most popular fabrics used in the entire textile industry of Bengal. These sarees are made with wax dyed dice designs over raw silk cloth pieces. Batik also popular in cotton-based sarees, but the silk ones are just classy enough to represent the culture and reach the tradition of Bengal.
The red and white silk saree has almost become a uniform for the last day of the greatest bong festival (Durga Puja) to every Bengali woman. The fine zari woven Resham silk sarees are unique and one of their kind! The purity of silk material and fine and simple yet classy zari works gives such stature to these sarees that it has become almost like an all-time favorite to Bengali women bearing different choices and is from different age groups!
