In love with Benarsi weaves

Rajyalakshmi Gubba is an entrepreneur and founder of 'Rajyalakshmi Heritage Banaras Sarees'. She is the face of the venture that brings to the fore the most authentic Banarasi silk sarees.

Her passion for the purest weave takes her all the way to Banaras often, and she brings with her only the choicest sarees personally selectedby her. Her collection reflects a wide variety in weaves, colours and textures and caters to the tastes of the contemporary Indian woman.

On the occasion of National Handloom Day, Rajyalakshmi has curated a special collection named "Forgotten weaves of Banarsi". She says, "In this particular category of banaras sarees the oldest techniques of banarsi which revolved during the Mughal era are showcased.

Weaves like kadwa, jaaldaar, tanchoimeenakari on satin silk and poona silk base are our highlights. These collections are a perfect blend of art and beauty. These sarees are here to stay and will be the most cherished collection for handloom lovers. It's been a total joy and achievement to bring back these forgotten weaves to the nawab city of Hyderabad."

The artisans weaving the saree were in a pitiable state and she took it upon herself to fill in the demand supply gap and provide livehood to the Benarsi weavers. It is a win-win situation for all she believes. Most of all she loves the Banarasi saree and is passionate about making it a trousseau must have for every bride. She is on a mission to weave together tradition and fashion.

"Kadwa is a weave technique in Banarsi which involves interlocking of the zari when woven. So, if you observe the weave, it looks same on the front and the back side. But, usually on basic handloom sarees the connection between the weave is cut.

KadwaTechique is one of the master weaves in banarsi. It looks flawless, beautiful and has great clarity," she shares. About the challenges she says, "Weavers are more drawn towards powerlooms because of lesser hard work and faster money. So, the younger generation have no interest to join their family work."

She has launchedher blog on her official website about the entire process of weaving a banarsi saree. She says, "For me it's not just about selling and making money. Its more about keeping these beauties alive."

Born to a family of businessmen, she carries the entrepreneurial spirit within her. "I have studied at Indian School of Business. But I was no more interested in working for my family business, which is Gubba Cold Storage. I was desperate to start something on my own and my passion for banarsi looked the best business for me at that point.

This work feeds my soul as its very fulfilling," she adds. Rajyalakshmi Gubba started her store four years ago in Hyderabad and she says, "Over time the logistics have improved very well. But the weavers have drastically reduced.The demand is increasing but production has become challenging."

"My madness for Banarsi has been there since childhood. Generally, handlooms make me happy and curious. It's a very interesting subject if you study and understand in detail the entire process," she adds.