The state textile department inspired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s mission to take Bengal’s classic art forms to the global arena, has devised an initiative to make the gorgeous colours and rich work of Bengal’s famous baluchari saree, for saree lovers now available online.

Saree lovers can check out various designs, colours, and motifs and place an instant order with a single click on their mobile screen phone.

Swapan Debnath, minister of state for textiles in West Bengal, said that they have started making Bengal’s textiles available online through West

Bengal Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd (Manjusha) and Tantuja, so that people from all across the world have access to them. They have already received a decent response not only from domestic buyers but also from overseas – be it the UK, the US or Germany.

The initiative, Balucharisaree.in, is launched in collaboration with a private player, Brand Next, which has developed the mobile application and the online platform to sell the original product.

Debnath also said that the state has started a pilot project to train Bengal’s weavers at Burdwan’s Dhatrigram and Nadia’s Phulia for which they have brought experts weavers from Benaras for giving training to local weavers.

Murshidabad district and Bankura’s Bishnupur in West Bengal are the only two places where authentic baluchari sarees are produced. It takes approximately a week to produce one such saree.

The initiative aims to popularize the artwork and create a direct interaction between Bengal’s weavers and actual buyers, eliminating any middlemen.