Bank Sari brings joy to women in Gujarat’s Anand district- The New Indian Express

Express News Service

AHMEDABAD: For Bhavna Ben from Bhadran village in Anand district, buying expensive new saris at home weddings was a big deal last year. The months of the COVID-19 pandemic saw family incomes drop substantially.

Then someone suggested they go to a ‘cider bank’ in Bhadran. Banks offer beautiful saris free of charge on the only condition that they are cleaned and returned after use.

“It’s as if all the happiness in the family has returned,” Bhavna said as she and the rest of the family voted at the bank. The first bank of its kind is by and for the villagers of Bhadran. It is funded by the NRI for poor middle class women.

Nehali, who along with other women runs a sari bank, said the response was overwhelming. “Our endeavor is to help those who have experienced financial difficulties in the last two years due to the pandemic. It gives great satisfaction to all bank members when women in need can get special saris for auspicious occasions in their family,” said Nehali.

The bank gets about 150 saris from abroad and as much as possible from Bhadran. Villagers can take the sari at any good occasion, wear it, dry it and return it.

At the bank, the juice is credited to the user’s personal account. If the person returns the sari in good condition, the bank promises to give you a ‘credit’ for next time. In other words, you get a bank-like credit score.

Bhadran village elder Shaileshbhai Patel said while going to the US some time ago, he met Amarbhai Shah, a resident of Palanpur who has been living in America for many years. Amarbhai is a board member of Share & Care in America. “They asked me to set up such a bank in Bhadran. Upon my return from the US, I discussed the idea with the villagers. They all agreed,” said Shaileshbhai.

The cider donors included NRIs from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Local contributors are villagers from Bhadran and its surroundings. “A woman who lives anywhere can leave her sari. We want those in need to take advantage of this service,” she said.