With the strong assurance of the government, hopefully we will be able to restore the magnificence of the original muslin

Dhaka has for centuries been known worldwide for muslin -- the most exquisite hand-woven fabrics the world has ever seen.

Going back about 200 years in history, ancient Bengal pursued trade around the globe, focusing on the famed lucrative and luxurious textile.

Now, building on our status as one of the world’s foremost garments producers, the Bangladeshi government is determined in reinstating the lost glory of Dhaka, by reinventing the highly coveted muslin.

Our pride in muslin is now just a distant memory, considering that the fabric is now lost in the mists of time.

The question remains: With progress in technology, how difficult would it be to resurrect the true muslin?

Original authentic muslin had always been fabric of pride for Bangladesh -- but modern muslin is machine-milled transparent cloned fabric.

The muslin I am talking about is our heritage, hand-woven almost 200 years back.

Back then, muslin was a cotton fabric of plain weave, well known for its soft, light texture and the transparency of the material.

The muslin of the 17-18th century was produced from a locally grown, rare cotton plant called phuti karpas.

This particular variety was grown only along one stretch of the Meghna River.

The plant bore yellow flowers twice a year and the weaver extracted the cotton fibres from within.

The soil and temperature conditions were conducive to phuti karpas and it grew in no other place.

Hence, its value increased as the surrounding area became the only centres of muslin creation.

Muslin cotton yarns were handspun and had sixteen elaborate processes. The weavers worked diligently to achieve the desired end product.

It was essentially a family business and the role of family members was demarcated: Young women were entrusted with spinning -- the threads were delicate and needed gentle hands to spin them -- and men were engaged in the weaving process.

The elderly were not usually involved as the fine threads were rarely visible to them.

After the cotton balls were collected, they were cleaned with locally made tools out of the spine-like teeth on the jawbone of the catfish, found in rivers of the region.

The spinning of the fibre required a high level of humidity to stretch them, and the young women who were adept in this process ventured out in the early morning and late afternoon to extract these.

It is said that only the most dexterous hand could weave 300ft or 91m fabrics, with such great precision and lightness, that it could pass through a ring. 

The benchmark of the fabric, created by our ancient weavers, remains an unachievable feat in modern times.

Muslin fabric was treasured for its premium quality in many parts of the globe before British rule.

This high-end luxury product was fundamentally for the elite and aristocrats, beyond the reach of common people.

One yard of muslin, less than a metre, would cost anywhere from 50 to 400 pounds (an enormous sum in those times) depending on the quality, and there were said to be fifteen different varieties.

Josephine Bonaparte, the wife of Napoleon, among others, made muslin a fashion statement throughout Europe.

Unfortunately, the colonial rulers maneuvered with the technique of muslin creation, they commercialized it and thereby produced cheaper versions.

One kilogram of phuti karpas cotton yielded only 8 grams of soft delicate muslin -- but then coarser yarn was mixed in to produce the cloth and the delicate processing by loom gave way to the machine.

The weaver failed to compete with the cheaper machine-made muslin. The machine failed to match the technical excellence of the 2,425 thread count of the weavers’ hand-spun yarn.

Both the weavers and the quality of the muslin suffered.

Dhaka’s pride, muslin, was forced into darkness. Phuti karpas also became extinct because of a couple of natural disasters and the old muslin vanished into thin air.

The master weavers who pioneered the craft have now passed on.

The methodology was passed down to progeny by way of internship within the family which involved the delicate know-how about the weather which played a significant role in making the yarn.

 Though the whole process of muslin weaving is shrouded in obscurity, during a visit to the Textile and Jute Ministry in 2014, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had instructed on reviving muslin and has also allocated a Tk 13 core fund to reinstate our lost glory.

The government initiative is a great boost for researchers who are arduously working on finding the extinct phuti karpas which were only available along a small stretch of the Meghna River.

Finding a genetic match would be a priceless accomplishment.

Much has been done since the prime minister has instructed to revive the industry.

The government of Bangladesh and the private sector are in hot pursuit of rediscovering the original Dhaka muslin.

In 2016, Drik’s Bengal Muslin team and Aarong together organized a month-long muslin festival at the National Museum.

They see hope as they are close to producing a match for phuti karpas, though they are yet to equal the splendour of original muslin.

Bangladesh has shown an indomitable spirit to explore the unknown and reclaim this heritage.

With the strong assurance of the government, hopefully we will be able to restore the magnificence of the original muslin.

This is an aspiration amongst researchers, academics, and fashion houses alike, and gives us hope to see the lost pride of muslin reinstated.

Bangladesh has secured its talent in textiles through its global accreditation of the Jamdani -- it is now only a matter of time before we place muslin on its former pedestal.

Shehnaz Rokeb, by profession an educationist, writes on national heritage.