New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was gifted a special saree with his painting on it by Padma Shri awardee and famous Bengal weaver Biren Kumar Basak. PM Modi took to Twitter to express his gratitude to Basak and shared a picture of the moment he was presented the beautiful gift.
“Shri Biren Kumar Basak belongs to Nadia in West Bengal. He is a reputed weaver, who depicts different aspects of Indian history and culture in his Sarees. During the interaction with the Padma Awardees, he presented something to me which I greatly cherish,” PM Modi tweeted.
Shri Biren Kumar Basak belongs to Nadia in West Bengal. He is a reputed weaver, who depicts different aspects of Indian history and culture in his Sarees. During the interaction with the Padma Awardees, he presented something to me which I greatly cherish. pic.twitter.com/qPcf5CvtCA
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 13, 2021
Sharing his story, Biren Kumar Basak said he used to go door-to-door in Kolkata to sell sarees along with his brother in the 1970s. Now with a turnover of around Rs 25 crore, Basak has not forgotten his humble past. He started his journey with Rs 1 and now at least 5,000 weavers work for him.
“We used to take a train to Kolkata early morning every day. In the city, my brother and I used to walk down the streets carrying bundles of sarees, knocking on doors. Gradually we developed a huge clientele,” he told the Hindustan Times. Back in the day, prices of sarees ranged between Rs 15 and Rs 35, he said.
“At present, I work with around 5,000 artisans, out of which around 2,000 are women. They have found a way to earn their living and have become self-reliant. The actual recipients of this award are these artisans and I would thank them too,” he told the national daily.
Some of Basak’s special clients include West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Sourav Ganguly, Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar. Satyajit Ray and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay were also his clients.
