Bengal Handloom Saree at His Best
Biren Kumar Basak
Biren Kumar Basak is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the sari business. He is a wholesaler with buyers across the country and an annual turnover of Rs 50 crore. He lives in his Phulia residence, in Nadia district, nearly 100 km from Kolkata with his family. Bron with a creative instinct started selling saris with his brother in1981, but in 1987 decided to move on to his hometown to start his enterprise. Born in the era of communal tensions, he exhibits a strong personality and a tremendous capacity for fortitude. He is nurturing his son with the same abilities that have made him successful and haven’t allowed him to enter his business.
A very humble personality, his clients include Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former cricketer Sourav Ganguly, noted classical musician Amjad Ali Khan, actress Moushumi Chatterjee among several others. In the beginning, he had just eight people to start his business with, and right now he has 24 employees and 5000 weavers with whom he sells 16, 000 hand-woven saris every month. He has won the prestigious Sant Kabir Award conferred by the Union Ministry of Textiles in 2013.