How Varanasi Weaver's Hub is trying to economically organise the sector

Based on a membership model, each weaver becomes a paid member of the society to gain access to its various business promotion initiatives

With a diverse social make up, rich cultural and literary heritage and a political hotspot, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh can well be a miniature painting of everything that makes India what it is. It gave India the Benarasi weave that is making a comeback in the Indian wardrobes. Yet, a sector that is the second-largest employer in the country remains largely unorganised. Generation of weavers has been confined to the realm of the artisan and never elevated to the level of a designer or an entrepreneur.

To change these rules of engagement, the Varanasi Weavers and Artisans Society, also known as