Khadi and the history
In Mahatma Gandhi’s own words Khadi is defined as “Hand-woven cloth made of hand-spun yarn is of course khadi, however fine it may be. It may be made of cotton, silk or even of wool. One should wear whichever of these one happens to find convenient. The khadi from Andhra is very fine. In Assam, one can get some khadi made of silk. Woollen khadi is made in Kathiawar. In other words, the only criterion of khadi is its being hand-spun and hand-woven” (Gandhi, CWMG, Vol 28, 1925).
Khadi has been derived from the Hindi word, khad (pit). (Ramagundam, 2008) Khadi is also called Khaddar in Hindi. Traditionally hand-woven and hand-spun Khadi is woven on a pit loom, consciously making it a sustainable fabric. The word Khadi has emerged from the concept that the weaver would sit on the ground with his feet in the pit moving rhythmically with the movement of the shuttle to weave the fabric.
Khadi fabric is known for its adaptability and unique property to keep the wearer cool in summer and hot in winter due to the air pocket created during weaving. Khadi’s self-texture is subtle due to hand spinning and hand weaving. The fabric is distinctive as there is a less chance of fabric faults as it is hand-woven at a very low speed. Khadi is the only fabric where the texture is unique and distinctive that it cannot be duplicated due to hand spinning of the yarn. Khadi fabric can easily last for 4–5 years as it becomes softer and looks better with each wash. The production of the Khadi uses locally available resources and provides employment with very little investment. The fabric is light, soft and very comfortable to wear (Mathur August, 2015; Bhardwaj, 2011, Chauhan, 2016, Upadhyay, 2013).
Khadi is also the need of the hour as its production is eco-friendly and does not lead to pollution of the environment. Khadi production requires human energy rather than electric energy making it zero carbon footprint as compared to synthetic textile industries, which is the emitter of the largest greenhouse gases, amounting to about 1/20 of the total carbon produced (Saxena, 2016).
India has been known for production and trade of textiles from time immemorial. Indian Textile sector is one of the oldest crafts. Kokatanur, quotes that “In the field of industry the oldest one is that of textile.” The process of Khadi making is believed to be 5000 years old having its roots from ancient India.(Chauhan 2016) The Khadi fabric was made from the locally grown cotton, harvested by women and woven into cloth by men and worn by peasants and artisans in pre- Industrial India. Gandhi mentioned that before enslavement of India no other country could match with it in terms of quality and quantity of cotton produced from Khadi to the finest muslin, in spite of no mills at that time. It was so abundant that it fulfilled the local demand and left a surplus which was exported because of which the foreigners were drawn to our country as visitors.
Due to trade India played a major role in shaping world history. Historical sources mention the flow of trade between East and West via India. Indians exported many articles like copper, ivory and ivory articles, peacocks, apes, pearls and cotton textiles. The discovery of America by Alexander of Macedon was due to the search for new trade routes to India; a reminder of this is seen in the name ‘Indians’ given to the American aborigines.(Kokatanur Jan, 2014; Kasambi, 1965). Taylor and Mills in their book, have linked the discovery of America in 1492 to be the beginning of Modern Era (William B. Taylor, 1998).
Lemire has given full credit to the role of Asian commodities especially Indian cotton in the genesis of the fashion system in Europe.The Indian cotton played a uniquely important role as an agent of new consumer tastes, “Indian cottons were the first global consumer commodity”. Indian textiles have been acknowledged as an outstanding marvel in the functioning of a consumer society in the new modern era, which lead to having “sparked a taste for fashionable expenditures”. Not only the Indian cotton assumed a place of signal importance in decisions about accessories, and apparels in but It was also was a driving force leading to new technologies and the growth of Fashion system which reshaped the economic and cultural context of Europe.(Lemire, 2005; Lemire n.d.) So much so that England’s large trade imbalance with India that led to some people to fear that the cotton trade might cause irreparable economic damage to the nation hence between 1701–1721 British Parliament passed two acts that sought to halt the importation of cotton into Britain and revive the wool and silk industries. The Calico Acts were created and passed in part because of strong national sentiment that viewed the cotton trade as a threat to the nation (Fisher, 2012).
In early 20th century, the term Khadi entered nationalist vocabulary and Khadi became a visual symbol of India’s struggle from the British/colonial rule. Trivedi emphasizes that in the early twentieth century Khadi had a new meaning, it was no longer only the fabric for the villages but also for the entire nation. It raised to another level from just a commodity to a “symbol of swadeshi movement” having a connotation to India’s economic self-reliance against the British (Trivedi, 2007).
Khadi was institutionalized and it gained a lot of prominence during countries freedom struggle as it bridged the differences of language, literacy, region and religion, however after independence it has failed to be a consumer product for the masses as it was difficult to persuade people to adopt Khadi as an everyday wear. With politicians and followers of Mahatma as its limited patrons.
Many had internalized the belief that foreign cloth meant civilization and that a return to khadi was a return to ‘savage days’ (Gandh, CWMG, Vol. 26, 1925). It was too outdated for the progressive Indians. In her book, Tarlo quotes Gandhi that “there were numerous reasons why it was difficult to persuade people to adopt khadi”. In 1920, Gandhi admitted “…that all khadi is not equally good quality: that is easily crumples and coat and trousers do not remain stiff; it shrinks so much that the sleeve recedes from the wrist to the elbow; it looks like a sieve so much that moong grains can easily pass through it; people perhaps have had experience of one or the other or all of these things ….” (CWMG, Vol. 17, 16). Post-independence Politicians turned their back on Khadi once the British left, and gave Khadi a step motherly treatment. Khadi was just a useful election stunt. 1950, onwards use of Khadi clothing is limited to important political occasions (Tarlo, 1996).
Khadi has a historical relevance in Indian Society. During India’s independence movement it became part of rural economy envisaged in self-sufficiency encouragement to cotton weaving and of course an opposition to the colonial design of finding a market for their own textile production. It became a symbol of Indian independence struggle and a dress code for the poor and elitist structure of the society. The emergence of such phenomena later got a declining pattern after the independence of India.
Credits:
Dr. Upinder Kaur and Dr. Hitender Singh Rathore
