From the land of temples: ever-popular traditional Banarasi silk saree is a work of art

Mehak Mudassir

As a six-year-old girl, Rajyalakshmi Gubba spotted the most gorgeous sari of all time – a rich Banarasi silk saree in the family treasure. That drape has now become the centrepiece of her entrepreneurial venture. Her passion for ‘heritage Banaras sarees’ is etched in each fold of that saree.

A grown up Rajyalakshmi Gubba has launched an exclusive line of ‘Rajyalakshmi Heritage Banaras Sarees’ in Jayanagar, Bengaluru.

But why Banarasi sarees? Rajyalakshmi feels Banarasi sarees will always have their own charm. “There’s so much clarity in the weave, in the design. The zari beautifully and mesmerizingly falls onto the silk – it’s like poetry in motion. I’d call each of these sarees a piece of art,” says she.

Rajyalakshmi has visited Banaras countless times in search of the most authentic Banarasi silk sarees. She sifts through hundreds of designs, meticulously follows patterns, the warp and the weft and looks for a saree that breathes the spirit of Banaras with heritage imprinted on it. “I’ve been visiting Varanasi for the past seven years. I visit the city at least once, sometimes twice, a month. This is mainly because the entire production house is stationed there. The city is always high on life full of possibilities and great vibes: It’s so chaotic, it’s so unorganised and it’s so full of hungama,” says she.

Rajyalakshmi feels that despite the outward cacophony, Banaras attracts her. “I miss the city if I haven’t been there in more than a couple of months. It was akin to pangs of separation during the two years of Covid lockdown when I could not step into the town. I’ve developed close-knit ties with the city for any of this or all of these reasons: I enjoy the spirit of the place, how it connects me to the temple, how it connects me to the Ganga, how it connects me to my work, and those beautiful weaves created there. As I said, my work is everything for me,” she says.

Her collection reflects a wide array of weaves, colours and textures and caters to the tastes of contemporary Indian women. “Since Bengaluru is a vibrant south market, the brighter tones of very classic reds, greens, yellows with floral Jaal and Kadwa borders are what most of my customers from the IT capital are interested in. The southern taste is different from the north. Brighter palettes and little bolder designs are much appreciated here,” says Rajyalakshmi.

Born to a business family, Rajyalakshmi’s close business ally is her entrepreneurial spirit. A product of the marquee Indian School of Business, she was one of the only two students selected from India for an elite 5S corporate management course in Osaka, Japan. This helped her create and manage a systematic workplace.

Rajyalakshmi sensed a big market in the south for Banarasi sarees. “Women prefer variety and they have been wearing Kanjeevaram and other handlooms for a while. Why not Banarasi now? Even brides prefer a Banarasi for one of the ceremonies before or during or after marriage. It’s always good to have one heritage piece of Banarasi saree – it can be from any pedigree: satin silk or Kadwa Jaal. And the best part is you can hand it down the generations,” says she.

Rajyalakshmi feels her inspiration and the main trigger for being in this business of Banarasi sarees is because she was exposed to a lot of old Banarasi sarees in her family: “They were handed down to me from my mother, mother-inlaw and grandmother.”

And it helps that she simply loves the city: “It’s out of the world, it’s extraordinary in every sense of the term, and all the time. I never get bored of the city. I’ve seen it change over time, though, and for the better. Seven years ago when I visited the town for the first time, it did not possess a proper road from the airport. It has received a complete makeover now. It goes without saying that Banaras is a spiritual hub with tens of temples dotting the city. It’s called the City of Temples. Hence, the vibe is beautiful and surreal, especially in the mornings around the ghat,” she says.

Rajyalakshmi was a director closely associated with corporate communication at Gubba Cold Storage for nine years -- a stint that handsomely equipped her with the experience to go solo on her saree dream. That birthed ‘Rajyalakshmi Heritage Banaras Sarees’. Rajalakshmi was nominated for Indiamart Leaders of Tomorrow, Women Entrepreneur Award. She was chosen to be part of the prestigious Goldman Sachs Women Entrepeneur Program at Indian School of Business in 2013. At a fashion show in Bangalore. She was felicitated by Telangana’s KT Rama Rao for her contribution to handlooms at Telangana Handloom Show in 2021.