The Undeniable Charm of Khadi

Khadi – a simple hand-woven cloth managed to give a newfound identity to an entire nation. It was not just a piece of cloth but the reflection of the calm yet fiery spirit of the the Indian masses. Khadi narrates the story of India’s decade-long freedom struggle, her journey towards self-governance and her journey towards liberation.

Gandhi, with his iconic charkha Image source: amarujala.com

Several images come to mind when one thinks about India’s national struggle. Sometimes, it is the agitated masses who are dressed in white kurta and dhoti with "Gandhi caps," fighting for their independence. Other times, it is the English babus, dressed in their boots and coats. It is the eternal slogans of revolutionary leaders one moment, and Gandhi's peaceful satyagraha the next.

The most memorable picture, however, is of Gandhi, dressed simply in hand-woven khadi and weaving khadi from his charkha. This single image tells the story and evokes the fire-like emotions associated with various movements and struggles for India's independence. But how can a piece of cloth and a charkha inflame people's thoughts? The story dates back to 1905.

Around the year 1905, the air was filled with people’s discontent and frustration. The leaders like Dadabhai Naroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and even the masses started to realise the exploitative policies of the British. They began to notice how the Manchester-made textiles from British mills were snatching the livelihoods of millions of Indian weavers.

Not only that, thinkers like Dayanand Saraswati and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee exploded the myth of western superiority by referring to the rich past of Indian civilization. As a result, the need to imitate western clothing styles was slowly fading away. This marked the beginning of the Swadeshi movement to encourage domestic production and curb foreign goods. Meanwhile it also led to the emergence of the “dhoti” in Bengal in 1905.

The movement advocated a boycott of all British mill-spun yarn and cloth, which were flooding the Indian market, in favour of indigenous handloom products. Wearing a dhoti and hand-woven products were symbolic of the fight against British policies. The movement helped to restore Indians' faith in "desi" hand-woven products and rekindled the spirit of "Swaraj" (self-rule).

From here, the nation began to dress in handloom and khadi in preparation for a journey toward self-sufficiency.

Several prominent leaders of India’s freedom struggle – Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Aurbindo Ghosh, Bipin Chandra Pal, and others – sparked a Swadeshi spirit.

But, it was Gandhi, a diminutive, bespectacled man, with his iconic stick who was responsible for making khadi and charkha (spinning wheel) the basis of India’s economic regeneration and an important tool for political emancipation. In 1918 he started a movement to encourage handloom products, also known as the Khadi movement.

People were awakened during the course of the movement and now hand-woven Khadi was a medicine for the masses ridden with poverty due to economic stagnation. From 1934 onwards, the fabric became something that the village people could use for themselves; it became a symbol of national identity. Spinning and weaving was equated to an ideology for self-reliance and self-government.

Gradually, almost every village started to harvest their own materials for the yarn needed to create handloom and Khadi fabric. Weaving together not only emphasized economic freedom but it brought people together from all classes.

Khadi's influence peaked when women from Assam wove the entire pandal of Khadi for the Indian National Congress session.

The humble hand-spun fabric was elevated to the status of a symbol of all things swadeshi. Indians started to rediscover their heritage while also supporting their rural brethren. Handlooms became a revolutionary tool for Indians to take back what was theirs, using their own products and skills to create their own wealth. It was an enlightening experience for masses where they rediscovered themselves and lightened their spirit for India’s independence.

The masses followed the footsteps of Gandhi when he once said,

"If we have the 'khadi spirit' in us, we would surround ourselves with simplicity in every walk of life. The ‘khadi spirit’ means infinite patience. For those who know anything about the production of khadi know how patiently the spinners and the weavers have to toil at their trade, and even so must we have patience while we are spinning the thread of Swaraj. "

The spinning wheel (charkha) of Indians moved in unison until it blurred the distinctions between them and covered everyone within the Khadi canopy. Khadi became a comfortable yet powerful cloth that represented freedom from colonialism on one hand and a sense of self-reliance and economic self-sufficiency on the other.

To wear khadi and handlooms was to wear freedom and dignity. The spinning wheel gradually became what can be termed an innovative tool for attaining swaraj.

Gandhi's spinning wheel eventually woven the threads of liberty, self-sufficiency and dignity. Khadi and handlooms are thus more than just a piece of fabric; they tell the story of a nation banding together to fight for independence.

The picture of Gandhi at his charkha is, therefore, not just a historic photograph: it represents the true spirit of India’s decade-long freedom struggle.

And, in this way, the fine thread of khadi, delicately made from charkha, tied the entire nation together.