ABSTRACT
Men, Women, Children in the Folds of the Sari Despite the Muslims (predominantly Momin Ansaris) constituting about a quarter of the city’s population, their presence is lost in the folds of the Banarasi sari. In fact, the Banarasi sari hides within its folds the secrets of the relationship between the Hindus and Muslims of the city. The best skilled weavers of the Banarasi silk sari have been the Muslims of the city, while the main traders in the sari industry have been Hindu Banias (this holds true for the most part even now, despite the fact that some inroads have been made into the trading monopoly by a section of the Muslims — the Momin Ansaris — and also despite the fact that many lower-caste Hindus also weave. It is important to remember that Hindu women are the principal consumers of the Banarasi sari; no north Indian wedding is complete without it, and yet, ironically, there is pollution attached to the relations between Hindus and Muslims. Besides, the main consumers of the sari have largely been Hindu women. The relationship of interdependence that has existed between the two communities has been based on the materiality of production in the Banarasi sari industry.
