Banarasi Handloom, by Ashik Masud

During the partition of 1947, some 125 families migrated to Parbatipur of Rajshahi district, and to various areas of Old Dhaka, Becharam Deuri, Kazi Alauddin Road, Kaiktuli, Tanti Bazar, Doyaganj and Gandaria from Benaras in India. They brought along with them their skills of weaving the famous benarasi sari. After independence of Bangladesh, the artisans who were in Dhaka started to live in the refugee camps of Mirpur, and made their living from weaving saris. Gradually their small handloom industry began to expand, and so did the production. Sari making in Mirpur gradually grew into big industry from what was initially cottage industry. Towards the late nineties, a big market also grew up alongside the sari-making units in Mirpur. This is now known as the Benarasi Palli. Though the craft of making Benarasi sari was brought in by non-Bengalis, but they are the ones who knew this craft. Gradually the number of Bengali artisans has also risen, and at present the number of Bengali artisans is almost equal to those of non-Bengalis.

Nikon D90 | Exposure 1/160s @ f/3.5 | ISO 800 | Focal Length 18mm
Banarasi Handloom, by Ashik Masud

Award Winner: Photo of the Day | December 22
Award Score: 55.5 (Value 11, Clarity 11, Composition 13, Style 10, Skill 10.5)
Photo of the Day Award Category: Documentary Photography
Photograph Location: Mirpur, Dhaka | Bangladesh

Photographer: Ashik Masud (Dhaka, Bangladesh) Registered
Ashik Masud is a passionate shutter bug, lives in Dhaka, Bangladesh, specializing in people with a style consisting of colorful and energetic imagery. Ashik mostly loves documentary photography, and loves to represent his country through his viewfinder. In professional life, he is an IT Professional. He likes to photograph people in their interaction with the world surrounding them and think photography is a wonderful medium to connect with people with respect and discover their cultures. He is a self-taught, and believes the best way to learn is to just do it.

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