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Young World
A philosophy... handspun
G. JANANI
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Khadi is more than just a fabric. It is an ideal, a symbol of our freedom struggle...
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AFP
Khadi...ideal fabric for the harsh Indian summers.
Have you ever wondered what it was that wove together this varied mosaic of a country into an independent nation called India? What was it that Gandhiji laboured on day-in and day-out on his Charka, which spun around him the much-needed fabric of revolution? It was khadi — the rough hand-spun cotton, the fabric that drew so many converts that it changed the fate of a nation.
Khadi is more than just a fabric. It is an ideal, a philosophy, a symbol of our freedom struggle. It was introduced as an effort to endorse the Swadeshi Movement. Around 1920 the INC decided to promote khadi and the first Khadi Production Centre was established in Gujarat. It was a political weapon and the most powerful instrument for giving tangible expression to the swadeshi spirit to boycott foreign goods. It instituted the means for every Indian to openly show their oneness with the non-cooperation movement.
When Earl Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India announced that his nephew, Prince Philip was engaged to Princess Elizabeth, Mahatma Gandhi said to him, "I am delighted that your nephew is going to marry the future queen. I should like to give them a wedding present, but what can I give them? I have nothing."
"You have your spinning wheel," said the Viceroy. "Get to work and spin them something."
Gandhi made them a tablecloth, which Mountbatten sent to Princess Elizabeth with this note: "This, you lock up with the crown jewels." It probably is still there, for it was spun by a man who believed in the virtues of non-violence, a great man who said, "The British should depart as friends."
Khadi is the ideal cloth for the harsh Indian summer — airy, comfortable and affordable. It is 100 per cent natural, handspun and also dyed using natural dyes. Khadi was a manifestation of our freedom struggle, a symbol of our nation's unity. This is one aspect that seems to have been absolutely wiped out of the minds of Indians. People do not look at the Godhra incident as a loss of human lives. They tend to count the number of Hindus and Muslims killed. Where are we heading?
What we need today is a revolution of every individual's thought process, an injection of a little humanity into every deliberation. If every single Indian considers it his responsibility to work toward his betterment, he is in turn contributing to the betterment of the Nation. As the youth of the nation, if we patronise the ideals of khadi, we are ensuring a better future for ourselves.
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