K is for KHADI

Spr05_41khadi
Originally uploaded by dalbhat.

A most creative revival of this traditional handloom cloth is happening at the moment in Kolkata and throughout India. Khadi is the homespun textile that was one of the pivotal economic and social supports of Ghandiji's satyagraha movement, to bring independence to India. A special session of the Congress at Calcutta in 1907 prescribed hand-spinning and weaving of Khadi as a measure of discipline and sacrifice for every man, woman and child, and this resolution was later clarified at Nagpur. After Gandhiji's arrest in 1922, a committee laid great stress on constructive work and a special department for khadi work was set up, as an expert organization unaffected by politics. The most typical khadi item is the long, men's panjabi kurta but nowadays it is being used for all sorts of great new fashions. The spinning and handlooming of this richly textural cloth provides self-help training and a source of income still today for many women all over India.