Banaras crafts take the world stage as Kashi hosts BRICS culture delegates

Varanasi added another global milestone to its calendar when it hosted a BRICS Culture Working Group meeting on 4–5 June 2026 at a city hotel, welcoming diplomats, policymakers and cultural experts from member nations and partner countries. For Kashi — fresh from hosting G20 sessions — it was one more chance to present its heritage to the world. The centrepiece for local craftspeople was a curated showcase of the city's GI-tagged and One District One Product treasures. Six master artisans displayed traditions that are unmistakably Banaras: Gulabi Meenakari enamel work, Banaras brocade and saree, soft-stone jali carving, wooden lacquerware and toys, metal repoussé and the city's famous glass beads. Presenting these crafts directly to foreign delegates, organisers said, opens doors to new international markets and stronger export prospects for the weavers and artisans behind them. The meeting underlines a quiet but important shift: Varanasi is increasingly seen not just as a pilgrimage city, but as a global hub for living craft and culture. Every such gathering puts Banaras's makers — many of whom have kept these skills alive across generations — in front of buyers and admirers far beyond India, helping ensure the city's handmade heritage has a thriving future as well as a celebrated past.

Compiled by HelloBanaras from public sources: Indian PSU