NEW DELHI, Oct 5:
Can Khadi, a byword of the Independence struggle, ever become a fashion statement?
After launching a nationwide cleanliness movement on October 2, the 145th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi the next day, strongly advocated the use of khadi to promote employment and as a homage to the Father of the Nation.
Both cleanliness and Khadi were dear to the Mahatma’s heart.
The Prime Minister, who during the 2014 election campaign had strongly supported the hand woven artisans, asked the people to give khadi a space in their lives. Mr Modi, for the first time shared his ‘man ki baat’ on All India Radio, with the nation where he made a fervent plea for bringing khadi into the lives of the people. In his address, the Prime Minister strongly pitched for the use of khadi.
He said the use of the product would bring a radical change in the lives of the weaver, who are poor and deserve a better deal.
The PM urged the people of the country to use at least one khadi product in their daily life such as a curtain, bed sheet, towel, pillow cover or even a small handkerchief. “It will help light a diya in the house of the poor,” the Prime Minister said.
Khadi and freedom struggle are two sides of the same coin. The fabric had represented a mass Swadeshi movement during the British rule. Mahatma Gandhi made the handspun and hand woven cloth, a movement, which grew so massive that people started wearing it and dumping foreign-made fabrics. Nevertheless, the export of cotton from England, its manufacturing in India dealt a severe blow to an item close to the heart of the Mahatma.
Many of the Khadi weavers were thrown back into agriculture and as a result where for instance three were required, five people started working in the fields. In economic history, it is called the de-industrialisation of India.
While, decline of handicrafts is an inevitable loss to the manufacturing sector, the colonial Government did nothing to create alternative opportunities for khadi workers.
The Prime Minister’s plea, therefore, also has a historical significance.
Experts say if people were to adopt the Prime Minister’s advice, it will lead to glory of khadi hitherto unknown. During the freedom movement, khadi was used as a political weapon and an instrument for giving concrete expression to the Swadeshi spirit to boycott foreign goods. The first khadi production centre was established at Kathiawad in Gujarat. Mahatma Gandhi used to refer khadi as, ‘the livery of freedom.’
Gandhiji himself wore a dhoti by spinning it on his hand-made charkha, which went on to become the symbol of the Freedom Movement.
While Khadi and village industries are a small way of promoting the use of the fabric, its confine is largely restricted to urban areas.
For the Khadi movement, to be a success, it has to make a dent in the rural areas, where the masses reside. (UNI)
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