Editing Muslin (section)

=== Revive: 1950s–present ===
==== Bangladesh ====
{{See also|Textile arts of Bangladesh|Textile industry of Bangladesh|Jamdani}}
In the second decade of the 21st century, a scheme called ''Bangladesh Golden Heritage Muslin Yarn Manufacturing Technology and Muslin Cloth Restoration'' was undertaken to restore and develop the muslin production system in Bangladesh. Under this project, samples of muslin from different countries including India, Britain were inspected and data collected. Old maps of the [[Meghna River]] were examined and combined with modern satellite imagery to identify possible locations – where phuti carpus plants could still be found. From there, the genetic sequences of the recovered cotton plants were made and compared with the original ones. After testing, a carpus plant was identified, which was 70 percent identical to the Futi carpus. An island in the Meghna, 30 km north of [[Dhaka]], was selected for the production of this corpus, where some seeds were sown experimentally in 2015, and the first cotton was harvested that year. But at that time there were no skilled spinners in Bangladesh to produce fine yarn.  On the other hand, Indian spinners were able to produce 200-300-400-500 count fine yarn from cotton. As a result, in joint venture with Indian spinners, a hybrid yarn of 200 and 300 count was produced by combining common and futi corpus cotton. At least 50 tools were needed to make cloth from yarn, which had to be reinvented, as they disappeared with muslin. Ultimately a weaver is able to weave a saree with a thread count of 300, which is nowhere near the quality of real ''Dhaka muslin''; But much better quality than what the weavers of many generations past have woven.

The [[Bangladesh Handloom Board]] (BHB) is implementing the first phase of the project titled ''Bangladesh's Golden Heritage Muslin Yarn Manufacturing Technology and Muslin Cloth Reviving'', and the Revival work was completed in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.textiletoday.com.bd/legendary-muslin-revived/ |title=Legendary Muslin revived again, Textile Today, 2 January 2021 |date=2 January 2021 |access-date=2 January 2022 |archive-date=2 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102145521/https://www.textiletoday.com.bd/legendary-muslin-revived/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Dhakai Muslin'' was recognized as a GI (Geographical Indication) product on 28 December 2020. The [[Government of Bangladesh]] declared official revival of fine Dhaka Muslin in April 2022.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/bangladesh-resurrects-precious-woven-air-dhaka-muslin/2574987 | title=Bangladesh resurrects precious woven-air Dhaka muslin }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/9/textile-hub-bangladesh-revives-muslin-the-forgotten-elite-fabric | title=Textile hub Bangladesh revives muslin, the forgotten elite fabric }}</ref>

In 2022, the Dhakai Muslin House was built on the banks of [[Shitalakshya River|Shitalakshya]] river at Rupganj under Tarab municipality of Narayanganj district. The second phase of the project named ‘Dhaka Muslin Commercialization’ begins in 2023.

<gallery mode="packed" style="font-size:88%; line-height:130%; border-bottom:1px #aaa solid;" heights="180" caption="The Dhakai Muslin (21st century)">
File:Art Market by Shilpakala Academy 2024 183.jpg|A ''Dhakai muslin'' saree, produced by Bangladesh Handloom Board under the project "Bangladesh Muslin Golden Heritage of Technology Reviving the Technology of Muslin Golden Heritage"
File:Art Market by Shilpakala Academy 2024 188.jpg|Dhaka muslin fabric
File:Art Market by Shilpakala Academy 2024 192.jpg|A scarf of ''Dhakai muslin'', woven with 300 count yarn
File:BANGLADESH visits (53504796999).jpg|[[Saida Muna Tasneem]], the [[ List of high commissioners of Bangladesh to the United Kingdom|high commissioner of Bangladesh to the United Kingdom]], in a pastel green muslin [[Sari]]
</gallery>

==== India ====
To revive Bengal muslin, two muslin production centers were set up by the Khadi and Rural Industries Commission, one at [[Basoa|Basowa]] in [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]] district of [[West Bengal]], and the other at Panduru in [[Srikakulam district|Srikakulam]] district of [[Andhra Pradesh]]. Under the patronage of former Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], Kalicharan Sharma took the lead in reviving the lost fame of muslin in Basowa, Birbhum district of West Bengal, with the help of some spinners. He soon found the dry climate of Birbhum quite unsuitable for spinning muslin yarn. Later he shifted his work center to the neighboring district of [[Murshidabad district|Murshidabad]], and chose Chowk Islampur as the site of this weaving industry. Chowk Islampur, situated on the banks of the Bairab River, a tributary of the [[Padma River|Padma]], is an ancient village famous for spinning and weaving since the days of the [[East India Company]]. After India's independence, the village had already gained a reputation for high-quality silk weaving. A muslin training center was started at Chowk Islampur in 1955 under the supervision of Kalicharan Sharma.

At first experiments were started on spinning yarn with traditional ''Kishan Charkha'', but it was not possible to make more than 250 counts on this traditional Charkha. Kalicharan Sharma did further experiments and research and developed a highly sensitive six spindle ''Ambar Charkha'' (spinning wheel) capable of spinning 500 count yarn. This new Charkha was able to reduce the cost of production and increase the wages of spinners. The use of this ''ambar Charkha'' proved to be effective and promising for the regeneration of muslin. To concentrate on muslin spinning, the Khadi Society constructed a separate spacious two-storied building at [[Berhampore]] in 1966.

The Government of West Bengal launched "Project Muslin" in 2013 with Khadi. The aim in this initiative was to revive the muslin fabric and support the weavers. Through this project, weavers from Murshidabad, Nadia, Maldah, Burdwan, Birbhum, Hooghly and Jhargram districts who are capable of weaving muslin cloth were identified.<ref name="indianexpress">{{cite news |title=Govt steps up muslin revival with infra support to weavers |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/govt-steps-up-muslin-revival-with-infra-support-to-weavers-7699220/ |access-date=22 August 2024 |work=The Indian Express |date=31 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref> All these weavers are provided training and technical assistance to produce high quality muslin. Weavers are capable of producing 500 counts of muslin; Some weavers have been able to weave 700 count muslin.<ref name="anandabazar1">{{cite news |last1=Bandyopadhyay |first1=Debashis |title=সূক্ষ্ম মসলিন বুননে নতুন পালক জি আই |url=https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/bengal-s-muslin-cloth-weaving-may-get-gi-1.1004134 |access-date=22 August 2024 |work=www.anandabazar.com |publisher=ABP |date=12 Jun 2019}}</ref><ref name="anandabazar2">{{cite news |last1=Bandyopadhyay |first1=Pinaki |title=হারাতে বসা মসলিন ফিরছে খাদির হাত ধরে |url=https://www.anandabazar.com/business/muslin-cloth-slowly-gaining-it-s-market-1.928154 |access-date=22 August 2024 |date=7 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bhattacharya |first1=Kedarnath |title=শাড়ির নকশায় ভাবনা মেশান জ্যোতিষ |url=https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/bardhaman/astrologer-cum-artisans-of-kalna-works-on-muslin-clothes/cid/1456729 |access-date=25 August 2024 |date=2 September 2023 |location=Kalna}}</ref> Project Muslin was able to expand the production of muslin in different parts of West Bengal. Muslin products produced in West Bengal include handkerchiefs, ''[[dhoti]]'', bed sheets and men's and women's clothing. According to 2015 data, the products were priced between ₹400 and ₹25,000, while some premium sarees in this category were priced between ₹70,000 and ₹150,000.<ref name="economictimes">{{cite news |last1=Ghosal |first1=Sutanuka |last2=Roy |first2=Tasmayee Laha |title=How Mamata Banerjee's Biswa Bangla is bringing dying arts, crafts back from the brink |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/sme-sector/how-mamata-banerjees-biswa-bangla-is-bringing-dying-arts-crafts-back-from-the-brink/articleshow/49866744.cms?from=mdr |access-date=22 August 2024 |work=The Economic Times |date=21 November 2015}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" style="font-size:88%; line-height:130%; border-bottom:1px #aaa solid;" heights="180" caption="The Bengal Muslin (20th century)">
File:Bengal or Banglar muslin with various counts - 100 count, 200 count, 300 count, 400 count and 500 count.png|Display of Bengal muslin fabrics, which are woven from 100 count to 500 count yarns
File:Moslin 1.jpg|Muslin saree passing through a finger ring
File:Moslin 4.jpg|Two muslin sarees packaged in two small cardboard boxes of size approx 8 inches X 6 inches X 2 inches
File:Moslin 8.jpg|Muslin saree weaving in Kalna, West Bengal
</gallery>