Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant wedding: Nita Ambani bulk orders Banarasi saris
Jun 28, 2024
By Anuj Jaiswal
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 28 : Banarasi saris are masterpieces of creativity, and they are undoubtedly perfect for every occasion. Ahead of her son Anant Ambani's wedding, Reliance Foundation Founder and Chairperson, Nita Ambani, reached Varanasi and went shopping for the saris.
She met loom owners and weavers in Varanasi and purchased about 50-60 saris. She invited various Banarasi merchants and craftsmen to the hotel, where she chose saris. She placed orders with several weavers, showing her genuine admiration for their craftsmanship.
The Banarasi saris will get a boost in the international market as many Bollywood, Hollywood, and foreign guests will also come to Anant Ambani's wedding.
The weavers expressed their happiness as they received orders of saris from the Ambani family.
Banarasi handloom weaver Chhote Lal Pal told ANI that Nita Ambani liked his Lakkha Buti sari, "Ambani family is a well-known business family of India if Nita Ambani wears a sari made by me at her son's wedding, then everyone will see it on TV and social media. She liked my sari and I am very excited. I am making their orders, and today the work done by my generation seems to be successful."
He added, "We are old artisans of Banaras, we are the third generation, our grandfather and father were weavers, the saree we are making is called Lakhha Buti. The speciality of this sari is that there is a corner near the Aanchal in the sari, when we set up the loom once, we prepare the entire sari but to prepare this special sari, the loom is prepared thrice. Chunari and Piyari are used in auspicious events of the Hindu religion, it takes 60 to 62 days to make this sari."
In making a sari, apart from the weaver, the help of 20 to 25 people is taken. First, there is preparation. The drawing is done. The design layout is made. The map is made. Punching is done. Then the leaves are cut. After this, this sari goes to the handloom. In this way, it passes through the hands of a total of 20 to 25 people.
Angika Hathkargha Handloom owner Akshay Kushwaha in Golaghat added that Nita Ambani had visited his loom. "We have received an order of 15 to 20 saris by Nita Ambani."
All the saris are made of real zari, which will have silver and gold threads. Silver will be coated with 58-60 per cent and 1.5 per cent is gold. The sarees with gold and silver threads cost from Rs 1.5-2 lakhs to Rs 5-6 lakhs.
"These saris take a lot of time to be made. Nita Ambani has bought a special sari, which is called Hazara Buti which has about 35 thousand silver Buti. It takes 40-45 days to make a Hazara Buti sari."
Banarasi weavers are very happy with the order of saris received for the wedding of the Ambani family. Many weaver families are getting work from this big order.
Famous fashion designer Manish Malhotra earlier shared "It feels very good to come to Kashi, I recently did a fashion show at Namo Ghat in which actor Ranveer Singh and actress Kriti Sanon came, for me this is such a place where I get a lot of peace."
The highly anticipated wedding of Anant Ambani with industrialist Viren Merchant's daughter Radhika Merchant will take place on July 12 at the prestigious Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Mumbai.
Nita Ambani visited Kashi Vishwanath Temple to seek blessings and offered the first wedding invitation to Lord Shiva.
Clad in a beautiful pink saree, Nita Ambani was seen attending the Ganga Aarti.
After offering prayers at the temple, she spoke to the media about her purpose for visiting Kashi Vishwanath.
She said, "I offered prayers to lord Shiva. I am feeling very blessed. Today I came here with the invitation for the wedding of Anant and Radhika to offer it to the almighty. I came here after 10 years. I am happy to see the development here."
On visiting the temple after 10 years, Nita Ambani expressed her excitement and told ANI, "It is my fortune that I have come here during Ganga Aarti. It feels so good...There is so much 'Shakti' here." After the temple visit, Nita Ambani also visited a chaat shop and interacted with locals.
As Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's wedding day approaches, Mumbai is set to witness a grand celebration that combines tradition, opulence, and a touch of modernity.
The wedding festivities are meticulously planned, adhering to the traditional Hindu Vedic customs.
The main ceremonies will commence on Friday, July 12, with the auspicious Shubh Vivah or wedding function. Guests are encouraged to embrace the spirit of the occasion by dressing in traditional Indian attire.
The celebrations will continue on Saturday, July 13, with Shubh Aashirwad, where attendees will receive divine blessings.
The final event, Mangal Utsav or the wedding reception, is scheduled for Sunday, July 14. For this grand occasion, guests have been asked to dress in 'Indian chic.'
Radhika Merchant, daughter of Encore Healthcare CEO Viren Merchant and entrepreneur Shaila Merchant, is set to join the Ambani family, marking a union of two prominent industrialist families.
Earlier this year, the couple hosted a series of pre-wedding festivities in Jamnagar, which saw a star-studded guest list from around the globe.
Business leaders, heads of state, and Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities graced the occasion, making it an event to remember.
Among the distinguished guests were Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and Ivanka Trump.
Indian corporate giants like Gautam Adani, Nandan Nilekani, and Adar Poonawala were also in attendance, along with cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Rohit Sharma. Spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev added a touch of serenity to the celebrations.
Bollywood's elite, including Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Karan Johar, Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt, Anil Kapoor, and Madhuri Dixit, added glamour to the festivities.
The highlight of the pre-wedding celebrations was an electrifying performance by pop sensation Rihanna, marking her debut performance in India.
The theme 'A Walk on the Wildside' with 'jungle fever' was a creative touch that left guests in awe, followed by 'Mela Rouge,' a celebration of South Asian culture.
The three-day extravaganza also featured the world-renowned illusionist David Blaine, who left guests spellbound with his incredible feats.
Bollywood stars and family members joined in the sangeet performances, with a special appearance by actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh, captivating the audience.