The New Silk Route to Riches

Learn more about India in International Living Postcards-- your daily escape
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Varnasi, India

Varnasi is world famous for its production of high-quality silk. When I was in Dharamsala, I shipped home some raw silk (where the going rate was 140 rupee--$3.47--per metre) but that was the coarse material that Tibetan ladies use to make chupas (Tibetan dresses). I wanted something softer to make a suit for my mother…and I had a few designs of my own that needed a higher-quality silk.

With the abundance of tourist silk shops in Varnasi, I needed to find out where to buy good quality silk without getting ripped off. I was advised (by friendly expats) to seek out government emporiums where the prices were set and bargaining is not allowed--a breath of fresh air in India, where you begin to get petty bargaining over five cents.

Many silk shops use "government" in their title or proclaim themselves to be "government approved." This is not always true. The government shops will be easy to spot by the clean and factory-like appearance of the premises. You should also ask to see the receipt book--if it says "government emporium" or something to that effect, ask the shopkeeper if he will give you a receipt for tax purposes. If he agrees, you are more than likely on to the real thing.

The emporium we chose sat on the edge of the Ganges, but to get there we had to run the gauntlet of shopkeepers trying to sell us their silk. "No silk, no silk," we pleaded, trying to get to the store. But they hawked and insisted and cajoled. The store we were going to was full of con men, they told us. Not government-run at all. We decided to see for ourselves.

This store was unlike any other we came across in India. The men cutting the fabric looked up from their work just long enough to offer a namaste. Eventually we had to ask for help--never something you normally have to do in an Indian shop.

I wanted plain colours but the shopkeeper insisted I have "just a look" at the beautifully handcrafted saris. I told him that, while saris are beautiful on Indian women, I was afraid I would look ridiculous in one. In the show room upstairs, many young women who were picking out silk wedding saris were swiftly shunted to the corners while the shopkeeper grabbed several reams of material and threw them on the floor.

Embarrassed at the scene we were causing, we were anxious to get this over with…until we saw the magnificent details on the fabric. The shopkeeper showed us handmade silk (the tell-tale sign is that each stitch is knotted at the back). I was worried about child labour but he showed me a photo album of the different women who embroider the silk. With no objections left, I began searching.

Saris (strips of material) ranged from machine-made pieces for 3,000 rupee ($74) to a one-of-a-kind masterpiece for 500,000 rupee ($12,000). One piece we looked at took six women nine months to make and it showed in the detail. This cost 28,000 rupee ($700).

I finally settled in a lime green piece with hand embroidered water carriers and Indian birds for 6,000 rupee ($150), which I later made into clothes. I also got reams of the plain silk for 210 rupee ($5.19) per metre--10 metres of purple, seven of pink, six of another pink, some black, and some red. The shopkeeper gave me an extra piece of each, and threw in a few extra colors, too.

The deal was that if I could find the same silk anywhere else in town for a cheaper price, I could get my money back. That was good enough for me. Where else was I going to find that much good-quality silk for $100? Back home in Ireland, I'd have to pay at least 10 times that amount.

We were given a catalogue and order form in case we wanted to get into the silk importing business. The store ships the orders for you, as part of the price. (Cynical as ever, I had to check up on this--sure enough, he had the customer orders and dates of shipping along with letters from the customers stating how happy they were and how much profit they were making…)

Elaine Cooney
For International Living

P.S. Shipping from India is cheap and reliable. If sending large quantities, I suggest sending it sea mail (enclose the goods in plastic before getting it packaged by the boys outside the post office). It takes approximately three to five months to reach Europe and the U.S. Go to the main post office in Varanasi with copies of your passport (one per package), tick the box that says "gift" on the form they provide. If they try to make you pay tax, don't be fooled--that "tax" is going nowhere but the "tax collector's" pocket. The goods will ship just as quickly whether or not you pay this fee. I paid 800 rupee ($20) to ship my eight packages of silk.