Vraj Poshakh

Zari is metal, fine thread wound with gold- or silver-toned wire. Detergent and machine agitation strip that shine permanently, so the rule is simple: never machine wash, never wring.

The safe way

1. Fill a bowl with cool water and a drop of gentle baby shampoo.
2. Dip the vagha and press it softly, thirty seconds is enough.
3. Rinse in clean cool water. Press between two towels; never twist.
4. Dry flat in shade. Direct sun yellows both cotton and zari.

Between washes

Most weeks a shake and a soft brush is all a vagha needs. Store folded in a cotton cloth, not plastic, trapped moisture tarnishes zari faster than anything else.

If the shine has already dulled

Gently rub the border with a dry soft toothbrush. What is lost will not come back, but this lifts the oxidation that makes it look worse than it is.