Radhavati weaves saree from banana fibres at first

Sanjoy Kumar Barua

“Since 1992, I started making Manipuri saree in Moulvibazar. I never thought that I would be able to weave a saree with the fiber of the banana plant”, said weaver Radhavati Devi.

“It took me around fifteen days to make this saree. As it was the first time, it took almost one kilogram of yarn to make it. I hope to be able to weave it with half a kilogram of yarn in future,” said the 66-year-old Radhavati.

“But I don’t know exactly how the yarn was made from the banana plant,” said Radhavati.

“More research is needed to make this saree wearable. We still don’t know how to make it softer and smoother. It will take more time”, she said.

I went to Bandarban from Moulvibazar in February this year following an invitation from Bandarban’s Deputy Commissioner who took the initiative, she said.

Local administration said the 13.5-cubit long and 2.5-cubit wide sari using banana fibre yarn for the first time in the country’s history.

Bandarban Deputy Commissioner (DC) Yasmin Parvin Tibriji said, “It is really a matter of great joy that we are the first in Bangladesh to make a saree from the fibers of the banana tree.”

“If many people get job opportunities through this initiative, it will be a great success for me,” she said.

“I have named this saree as ‘Kalabati’ saree after the name of the weaving artist. My sincere thanks to everyone involved in this work especially Radhavati”, she added.

We have been working since December 2021 in Bandarban to create handicrafts from banana fibers, she said.

“The saree is very similar to the Manipuri saree. An attempt has been made to make the saree a little softer in the local method. No color is used in the saree. Red and green yarns are used for the design”, she said, adding, “More research needs to sell this saree in the market in future.”

“We have already sent letters to the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, and Bangladesh Handloom Board seeking cooperation in this regard”, said the DC.

“We have already made bags, shoes, showpieces, table mats, pen holders, and file folders from the yarn of the banana plants”, she said.

“I am glad to be a part of this innovative project lead by Bandarban Deputy Commissioner. More research and development initiatives on this project will help to create employment opportunities in hills”, said Shaing Shaing U Nini, coordinator of Bandarban University’s School of Business Administration faculty.

“Once the fruit comes, we throw away the banana plant. Economic importance is no longer there. If the fiber can be collected from here and used for making cloth, there will be huge economic potentiality. And at the same time, since it is being made from natural sources, it will definitely be eco-friendly,” said Dr Md. Atiqur Rahman, associate professor of geography and environmental studies department at Chittagong University.

Farhana Rumzum Bhuiyan, assistant professor of Botany at Chittagong University said, “Globally in recent years, the commercial value of banana trees has increased due to its uses for multiple purposes. Banana fibre is one of the strongest plant- based natural fibre compared to the other organic fibres which has recently dragged the attention of modern textile industries.”

“It contains natural sorbent, soft, supple and natural shimmer.  Clothes prepared with banana fibre are much durable, comfortable, and non allergic. It has the spin ability, tensile strength and silk grade quality. It is also used for producing sanitary napkins and making tea bags”.

“The fabric of banana plant is eco-friendly, biodegradable, and non toxic because it does not contain any dye.  Turning the waste into valuable products it can reduce the demand of processing chemical induced synthetic fibre”, she emphasized.