Our achievements to date
Making the Muslin Revival real for Bangladesh
- Finding cotton from a plant type that is closest to the original ‘phuti karpas’ plant along the river banks of Bangladesh;
- Determined the DNA of ‘phuti karpas’ through genomic sequencing
- Introducing modern conditions and technical innovations in muslin spinning and weaving processes through the Bengal Muslin center for weaving at Rupganj, Bangladesh;
- Revitalising fine muslin production by training weavers in fine count (250 and above) weaving, as their current practices have noticeably declined;
- Launched the the Muslin Festival exhibition in Dhaka (2016) which brought the true story of muslin to a national and global audience
- Published the definitive book on the story of muslin, ‘Muslin. Our Story’, written by Saiful Islam
- Published a graphic novel in English (‘In the Land of Muslin’) and Bangla (‘Muslin er Deshey’), an illustrated history of this fabled fabric for younger readers
- Produced a documentary film, ‘Legend of the Loom’ which visually encapsulates the story of muslin
- Supporting weavers in producing ‘new muslin’ saris and yardage of 250-, 300- and 400-count cotton yarn using classical motifs;
- Introduced ‘new muslin’ weavers and their products to the international market through design, marketing and other modern promotional activities;
- Continuing to spread the story of muslin and its origins in Bangladesh, through publications, social media, festivals, discussion sessions, interviews, news stories and other related events.
We continue to spread this unique story of Bangladesh’s crafts with our resources.
‘One must have complete faith on the wheel. The first pass will produce 200 count. The second pass will produce 300 count. To produce enough 500 count yarn for one sari, it easily takes three to four months …’
– Joytish Debnath, Master Spinner, Murshidabad, India
