Khadi

This article is about the fabric. For the Pakistani multinational clothing brand, seeKhaadi.For the comedian and actress, seeKhadi Don.

Not to be confused withKadhi.

A blue khadikurta.

Khadi(pronounced[kʰaːdiː],Khādī), derived fromkhaddar,is a hand-spun and wovennatural fibrecloth promoted byMahatma Gandhiasswadeshi(self-sufficiency) for the freedom struggle of theIndian subcontinent,and the term is used throughoutIndia,PakistanandBangladesh.The first piece of the hand-woven cloth was manufactured in theSabarmati Ashramduring 1917–18. The coarseness of the cloth led Gandhi to call itkhadi.The cloth is made fromcotton,but it may also includesilkorwool,which are all spun into yarn on acharkha.It is a versatile fabric that remains cool in summer and warm in winter. To improve its appearance, khadi is sometimesstarchedto give it a stiffer feel. It is widely accepted in various fashion circles.

Greco-Romanmerchants imported finer cotton in large quantities to theRoman Empire.In medieval times, cotton textiles were imported to Rome through themaritime Silk Road.Arabian-Suratmerchants traded cotton textiles toBasraandBaghdadfrom three areas of Gujarat, theCoromandel Coastand the East Coast of India. To the east, trade reached China via Java. 14th-century Moroccan travelerIbn Battutamentioned Delhi sultanMuhammad bin Tughluqsending five varieties of cloth to the Yuan emperor in China.Some of the textiles are stored in repositories of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

A signage kept at Kochi with an appeal to the citizens to use Khadi/handloom based wear.

Gandhi spinning

Gandhi spins by hand while addressing his followers

Mohandas Gandhi's bedroom, bed, desk, and spinning wheel in theSabarmati Ashram

After theFirst Indian War of Independencein 1857, domestic textile production by mill or traditional methods declined to its lowest levels before khadi emerged as a "silent economic revolution" as an outcome of a long and laborious evolutionary process.

TheAmerican Civil War(1861–1865) caused raw cotton crisis inCottonopolisBritain. Indian cotton at cheap prices was sourced for them as the textile industry did not exist in India, and hand spinning was a dying art. DuringVictorian era(1837–1901), 47 mills existed in the 1870s but Indians still bought clothes at an artificially inflated price, since thecolonial governmentexported the raw materials for cloth to British fabric mills, then re-imported the finished cloth to India.In theEdwardian era(1901–1914) theSwadeshi movementof boycotting foreign cloth remained prominent.During the first two decades of the 20th century it was backed bynationalist politiciansand Indian mill owners.

In 1922,Mahatma Gandhirequested the Indian National Congress (INC) to start a khadi department. In 1924, due to a large amount of work, a semi-independent body All India Khadi Board (AIKB) was formed which liaisoned with the INC's khadi department at the provincial and district levels. In 1925, the All India Spinner Association (AISA) was formed comprising the khadi department and AIKB. Mahatma Gandhi was the founder of AISA. He made it obligatory for all members of the INC to spin cotton themselves and pay their dues in yarn. Gandhi collected large sums of money to create grassroots-level khadi institutions to encourage spinning and weaving which were certified by AISA.Handspun yarn was expensive and of poor quality, and weavers preferred yarn produced by mills because it was more robust and consistent in quality. Gandhi argued that the mill owners would deny handloom weavers an opportunity to buy yarn because they would prefer to create a monopoly for their own cloth.When some people complained about the costliness of khadi to Gandhi, he only woredhoti,though he used wool shawls when it got cold. Some were able to make a reasonable living by using high-quality mill yarn and catering to the luxury market. Gandhi tried to put an end to this practice by threatening to give up khadi altogether, but since the weavers would have starved if they listened to him, they ignored the threat.In 1919, Gandhi started spinning at Mani Bhawan Mumbai and encouraging others to do so. He invented Patti Charkha, using a double-wheel design to increase speed and control while reducing size. In 1946, when huge funds were being spent on development for more productive charkhas, he recommended takli over charkha.

The khadi movement began in 1918 and was marked with its own changing dynamics. Initially, a clear emphasis could be seen on using khadi as an economic solution due to stagnation, from 1934 onwards the fabric became something that villagers could use for themselves.

In 1921, Gandhi went toChandina Upazilain Comilla, Bangladesh, to inspire local weavers and consequently in the greaterComillaregion, weaving centers were developed inMainamati,Muradnagar,Gauripur and Chandina.

Khadiin post-independence India

In 1948, India recognized the role of rural cottage industries in its Industrial Policy Resolution. In 1948, Shri Ekambernathan invented ambercharkha.The All India Khadi & Village Industries Board (AIKVIB) was set up in January 1953 by the Government of India. In 1955 it was decided that a statutory body, theKhadi and Village Industries Commission(KVIC), should replace the Board and the KVIC Act was passed in 1956, which brought the KVIC into existence as a statutory organisation the following year.
After Independence, the government reserved some types of textile production, such as towel manufacturing for thehandloomsector, which resulted in a deskilling of traditional weavers and a boost for thepower loomsector. Private sector enterprises have been able to make handloom weaving somewhat remunerative and the government also continues to promote the use of Khadi through various initiatives.

Prime MinisterNarendra Modiduring Khadi Utsav (27 Aug 2022), said "Khadi was ignored after Independence due to which weavers in the country suffered"and asserted that khadi is a movement to help the poor, and further claimed that the KVIC is a statutory organisation engaged in promoting and developing khadi and village industries.

Muslin (khadi) in Bangladesh

The Pakistan government saw khadi as emblematic of the ideology of Congress that had led thenon-cooperation movement,so khadi organisations like the Noakhali Ambika Kalinga Charitable (NAKC) Trust, started on Gandhi's visit in 1946, were discouraged. Pakistan prime ministerFiroz Khan Noon(1957–58), who remained Governor East Pakistan (1950-1953) was liberal towards khadi and established The Khadi and Cottage Industry Association in 1952.Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's historic 7 March speech of Bangabandhu refueled the momentum to produce khadi. A sudden wave of demand persisted in Bangladesh for many years after the country's independence from Pakistan in 1971. In 1975, some years after the independence of Bangladesh, the NAKC trust was reformed and renamed theGandhi Ashram Trust.

Muslin was registered under Bangladesh as itsgeographical indicationin 2020.

The soft or refined khadi is known as muslin khadi. Researchers have tried to replicate muslin and identifiedphuti carpasas the variety from theDNAofcottonand from motifs used in making muslin sarees fromVictoria & Albert MuseumLondon of 1710 collection with 350 muslin sarees.

Trademark

The KVIC holds the exclusive rights to use the trademarkskhadiandKhadi India.The National Internet Exchange of India Domain Dispute Policy Arbitration Tribunal in New Delhi rejected a private entity's claim thatkhadiis a generic word.In 2017, KVIC and the government of India fought a caseat theEUIPOagainst a German company that had trademarked the word. While KVIC obtained the latest trademark registration in Bhutan on 9 July 2021; trademark registration was granted in UAE on 28 June 2021, and the organisation registered the trademark in Mexico in December 2020.

Legacy

The KVIC enrolled 2624 functional Khadi institutionsin India where decentralized units ofKshetriya Shri Gandhi AshraminUttar PradeshandUttarakhand,Zila Khadi Gramodyog SanghinBiharandJharkhand,Sarvodaya SanghinTamilnaduhave survived as the oldest operational Khadi organisations.

See also

• Dosuti
• Khaadi
• Gaji

External links

• Khadi Culture: Fabrics from the roots of a nation!
• India's Khādī Culture
• Khadi and Village Industries Commission(Government of India), official website
• Gul Ahmed's Khadi Collection– Explore a range of Khadi fabrics from Gul Ahmed.
• More about Khadi