Date: 10th August 2019
Venue: The Ashok Hotel, Chanakyapuri, Delhi

It was Independence Day and many of us would have been scampering through our wardrobes trying to find some Indian attire for our school / office / club celebrations. We might have found a kurta – pajama combo or a saree and went “ethnic” as they say. But Khadi is a step ahead. Or a step back.

Mahatma Gandhi introduced Khadi as a fabric woven from Charkha handspun thread. This was a mark of self reliance by way of shunning machine made fabrics that came from the mills of England. The movement gathered enormous momentum across the length and breadth of India and I have heard stories as to how my mother’s grandmother would spend all her time spinning the Charkha and producing thread to clothe the family.

It is perhaps important to go back to the drawing board once in a while. Signature for Khadi, and event organised by Sankalp for Khadi, Incredible Transforming Charitable Foundation (ITCF) to mark 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary and 100 years of Charkha was just that. Hosted at The Ashok Hotel, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, the event had a fair share of politicos, designers, sports people, diplomats, bureaucrats, artists in attendance. The star attraction was the wrestler The Great Khali who was also the selfie point as well.

True to Signature for Khadi name, there was a signature board at the premise that the celebrity guests as well as other attendees signed pledging their support for Khadi. “I endorse Khadi too“ they wrote. The event was followed by a fashion show “Roots of India” when models walked the ramp wearing handloom produced by weavers from 7 states of India – Odisha, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Nagaland. We missed West Bengal which is a major producer of Khadi and other handloom items. There were some stalls selling products from the weavers.

The event could not have been timed better. The awareness about Khadi today is abysmally low. Some feel that any handloom or hand printed garment is Khadi. There are others who think any Indian garment – notwithstanding if it is a power loom product is Khadi. The case in point was the event itself. Very very few people were clad in Khadi here. In fact, the garments displayed on the ramp did not have much Khadi too. It was handloom but not all handlooms are Khadi. In fact, the Government of India has introduced National Handloom Day since a couple of years trying to create awareness about these items. Khadi, loosely defined, could be a handloom product if it was manufactured from handspun thread. In fact, it is a label now after the dispute between the Government and private manufacturer Fabindia on the subject.

The Government of India has been taking steps to popularise Khadi. Various fairs and exhibitions of Khadi products and awareness campaigns are held throughout the year. For instance, very few of us may be able to distinguish a Khadi item from similar handloom products. To facilitate the process, the Government of India has introduced the Khadi label. Genuine Khadi weavers, fulfilling the mandated criteria, are only entitled to use this label on their products. Many Khadi Gramodyog stores have been opened not only in tier 1 cities but local malls and community markets as well. The Khadi brand now carries FMCG products too and could be a one stop shop for customers. The revamped Khadi Gramodyog store at Connaught Place, New Delhi has a Khadi Café adjacent to it. We were pleasantly surprised when we saw the Café the first time.

Khadi items have gone through a makeover too. These are not the thick coarse fabric that were staple in the market earlier. A whole lot of research and experimentation has led to the revamp of Khadi. Under collaboration with designers, we now get stylish western clothes, table linen, accessories – all made of Khadi. In fact, we just attended a posh fashion show where designer Ritu Beri showcased a line completely made of Khadi. There were other designers too who used the Khadi fabric off and on.

But leaving everything up to the Government is perhaps unfair. For any sector to survive, it is important that the common people step and make an effort to connect with our roots. Hence, events such as Signature for Khadi, of and on, are most necessary. They showcase, amongst others, the beauty and simplicity of Khadi and help in breaking the glass ceiling in connection with such merchandise.

Signature for Khadi by Sankalp for Khadi is an initiative of Paridhi Sharma and we hope she would organise more such events to popularise Khadi not only in metropolitan cities but tier 2 tier 3 cities and villages as well.