Khadi: the fabric of our nation

       Dr. Gauri Goel and Mansi Rastogi

Vidya Institute of Fashion Technology, Meerut

Khadi refers to Indian handspun and hand-woven fabric. Khadi is also known by another name ‘Khaddar’. It is mainly manufactured in rural areas of India. The raw materials for khadi may be cotton, silk, raw silk or wool fibres, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel “charkha”. The fabric is produced by the masses for the masses. Today, Khadi has gained worldwide appreciation as it is handmade, durable, long lasting and organic in nature.

In previous times khadi was considered as the fabric for the poor rural workers & farmers, also the type of khadi available was the “khadi cotton” which had very coarse texture and feel. However many finer varieties of khadi like khadi silk, khadi wool and khadi cotton are available now, which makes it a fashionable fabric. Wearing khadi is no more for the poor, many high profile personalities and economically sound people prefer to wear it. It is considered as one of the most beautiful Indian fabric. The khadi wearer gets a royal and distinguishable look due to its fall and style. It symbolizes luxury and uniqueness.

The movement of khadi manufacturing and wearing was a part of the Indian Independence struggle. Khadi was launched in 1920 as a political weapon in the Swadeshi movement of father of nation Mahatma Gandhiji. To discourage the Indians from wearing of foreign clothes, Gandhiji called upon the people to make their clothes by themselves.

Mahatma Gandhi propagated kahdi as not just a fabric, but a way of life. The great concept of khadi practice by Gandhi ji was to generate employment, income and, hence, self-reliance to the unemployed rural population of India. Gandhi’s vision was clear, according to them khadi spirit means illimitable patience, illimitable faith and fellow-feeling with every human being on earth. khadi denotes simplicity in every walk of life. Spinning yarn on the charkha, Gandhi believed inculcated discipline and dedication. It was meant to be a great social equalizer. Gandhi ji wrote; Swaraj (self-rule) without swadeshi (country made goods) is a lifeless corpse and if Swadeshi is the soul of Swaraj, khadi is the essence of swedeshi. Therefore khadi became not only a symbol of revolution and resistance but part of an Indian identity.

The weaving of khadi is preceded by the spinning of the thread on the charkha after which it goes to the bobbin winder, warper, sizer and finally the weaver. Spinning is mostly done by the girls and women in the villages, while weaving is dominated by men. Because of the work involved, the price of the khadi cloth when it reaches the shops is more than that of the mill or handloom cloth.

Khadi is a versatile fabric. This fabric has coarse texture and gets easily crumpled, therefore in order to keep it firm and stiff, starch is to be added. This fabric on washing is more enhanced thus the more you wash it, better the look. It is a very durable fabric and does not worn out easily for at least 4-5 years. During spinning of khadi the threads are interwoven in such a manner that it provides passage of air circulation in the fabric and makes it very soothing for summers. It has the capacity to absorb moisture therefore it easily soaks the sweat and keeps the wearer cool and dry. Apart from this unique property, it also provides warmth in winter season which is quite surprising factor. Khadi comes in many colors and is not harmful to the skin.

Khadi is sourced from different parts of India, depending upon its raw materials - While the silk variety is sourced from West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and North Eastern states, the cotton variety comes from Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are known for the woolen variety.

It is widely accepted in fashion circles. Many types of apparel are manufactured from khadi cotton like saris, salwar suits, shirts, trousers, skirts, handkerchief etc. The most common outfit of made from khadi cotton is the ’Kurta’. Very attractive and designer apparel are made by doing handwork on them garments made from it. Khadi cotton comes in plain as well as in printed fabrics. In khadi silk, is quite an expensive fabric which provides a royal and rich look. The various types of apparels made from khadi silk are designer salwar kameez, kurta pajama, saris, dupattas, shirts, vest and jackets. Previously khadi was dyed in earthy color tones and was used to make traditional garments but now designers are experimenting by dyeing khadi with striking colors like lime-green, violet, baby pink, turquoise blue, etc. Stylish garments like miniskirts, halter neck tops, racer tops, tunics, etc are also made from khadi.

Leading fashion designers now include it in their collection by designing clothes with khadi material. There is huge demand of it in international market, especially in western countries. In 1989 the first high fashion khadi show was presented in Mumbai by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) where nearly 85 dazzling garments were created by Devika Bhojwani. Leading fashion designer Sabysachi’s khadi sarees having vibrant colours, intricate zardozi would cost the monthly budget of an upper middle-class family. In 1990 designer Ritu Kumar of Delhi presented her first Khadi collection at the Crafts Museum. Her Tree of Life show, an audio visual tableau spanning the history of textiles in India, showed the design lexicon of the country. Eight collections were presented of which khadi was a very significant one. Once again in 1997 Ritu Kumar presented the Tree of Life shown this time in London where the British were amazed with her khadi collections. Once the sign of freedom, Khadi today holds its own on the fashion scene… it is a part of every wardrobe when it comes to selecting fabric with a discerning eye, informs Ritu Kumar. Another person who has been working regularly with khadi is Kamal Wadkar, the well know promoter of traditional crafts. Her exhibitions in Mumbai for KVIC (Khadi Village Industries Commission) have netted nearly Rs.12.5 million. Kamal has presented nearly 4500 garments in 150 styles in different colours weaves and embellishment with prices ranging from Rs.460-750.

Khadi and village industries commission (KVIC) is the Indian government body which promotes the usage of khadi. This government body was created through an Act of Parliament in 1957 with the aim of providing employment through the production of saleable articles and building a strong rural community in India. The commission works towards supplying raw material and implements to producers, promoting research in production techniques, quality control of khadi products and promoting the sale and marketing of these products. This gave a boost to the khadi manufacturing sector of India, as a result many new outlets of khadi gramodyog opened all over the country. These shops sell stitched as well as unstitched khadi fabrics. Every year starting from the date- 3rd October to January 29th all khadi gramodyog bhavans provide discount to the public on various khadi products. Indian government conducts various exhibitions and trade fairs in India and abroad to promote this fabric.

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