” The father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi started promoting Khadi in 1920. It symbolized the political ideas and inspiration of our freedom struggle. Charkha was the weapon to fight against poverty by informing people about the importance and usefulness of spinning. It showed the way of one’s self employment and a way to live with pride. Gandhi Ji appealed to one and all to wear khadi with the intent of satisfying one of the basic needs of mankind. It became a means to unite people in different religions and classes.
Nowadays, khadi has become so popular that internationally renowned fashion designers also prefer to use it for brides. Clothes for special occasions are being designed by designers all over the world using khadi as fabric. Khadi cotton is required to be starched so that it does not get easily crumpled. It comes in many colors and is not harmful to the skin as synthetic fibers. It has the capacity to absorb moisture, therefore it easily soaks the sweat and keeps the wearer cool and dry. Khadi production is very harmful to the environment, no electricity, harmful chemicals or petroleum products are being used in production.
Khadi or khaddar simply means cotton, usually handspun.
Khadi is Indian handspun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called charkha.
Khadi is a versatile fabric, cool in summers and warm in winters. Being a cruder form of material, it crumples much faster than other preparations of cotton. In order to improve the look, Khadi is often starched to have a stiffer shape. It is widely accepted in fashion circles these days.
Mahatma Gandhi began promoting the spinning of Khadi for rural self-employment in the 1920s in India. He also wanted to spread the message of not using foreign clothes. The freedom struggle revolved around the use of Khadi fabrics and the dumping of foreign-made clothes. Thus it symbolized the political ideas and independence itself, and to this day most politicians in India are seen only in Khadi clothing. The flag of India is technically only allowed to be made from this material. “
