Along the banks of the Sitalakhya river in Narayanganj, some 20 villages in Sonargaon, Rupganj, and Siddhirganj in particular, women villagers starch yarn in lime and toasted rice to make warp yarn—the vertical, lengthwise weaves that make up a fabric. The weft yarn—the horizontal snake-like components of a weave—is likewise starched in cooked rice, dried, and wound around a