VARANASI: From the Himalayan highlands of Leh-Ladakh to the banks of river Ganga in Varanasi, the heritage handicraft of Pashmina is all set to get a brand-new identity.
Premium Pashmina products prepared by highly skilled Khadi weavers of Varanasi will be launched by chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Vinai Kumar Saxena, in the city on Friday. This is for the first time that Pashmina products are being produced outside the region of Leh-Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir.
“The KVIC will be selling the ‘Made-in-Varanasi’ Pashmina products through its showrooms, outlets and through its online portal,” Saxena told TOI on Thursday.
Pashmina is famous as an essential Kashmiri art form but rediscovery of Pashmina in Varanasi, considered to be the spiritual and cultural capital of India, is unique in many ways. The production of Pashmina prepared in Varanasi liberates this heritage art from the regional confines and creates a fusion of diverse artistry from Leh-Ladakh, Delhi and Varanasi.
The journey of Pashmina production in Varanasi begins with collection of raw Pashmina wool in Ladakh which is brought to Delhi for dehairing, cleaning and processing. The processed wool, in the form of roving, is brought back to Leh where it is handspun into yarn by women Khadi artisans on modern charkhas provided by KVIC.
The finished yarn is then sent to Varanasi where it is woven by trained Khadi weavers into final Pashmina products. A group of women Khadi artisans from Leh will also take part in the launching ceremony of Banarasi Pashmina.
