S Jayashankar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s exhortation to lend a helping hand to the Indian economy inspired me to start my own enterprise. I spoke to New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi about my wish to do something in this direction. She introduced me to Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), who in turn invited me to join the khadi fraternity.
Soon after, I went to the KVIC Mumbai office to meet the officials there, to embark on a new project. Discussions followed, which were a part of the formulation of franchises. This was done with a view to increase sales and invite more people into the khadi fold. The traditional bhandars had to be modernised, and franchisees had a key role in showing the path. And thus, I started the first KVIC franchise store in south India – a state-of-the-art showroom where products from across the country are displayed.
KVIC has recently seen a transformation, with private parties getting involved in khadi. It used to be a prerogative of societies and sansthas, but now brands like Raymond and designers like Ritu Beri have given it a new dimension. Initially there were issues of acclimatisation, but now the bond between private players and the societies and sansthas stand strongly forged.
I get to travel across the country to procure the best of khadi – from Upkar up north to Manila down south, each fabric has its own unique charm. It’s indeed an enchanting world of clothing.
Khadi is not cheap. It’s a premium hand-spun, handwoven fabric. It’s a ‘rich’ product made by poor people. Therefore, no customer should anticipate low prices when shopping for khadi. For, appreciating khadi means comprehending the effort, time and toil invested on the charkha and in weaving.
In this connection, it is important to remove misconceptions regarding handloom and khadi, which many believe are the same. Similarity lies in the fact that both are woven, but there are major differences in the way the two fabrics are spun, which makes it all the more important to endorse khadi as a better product. Also, customers are ready to pay more because they are aware of the quality.
Khadi products, however, need to have an enhanced customer base. This involves creating awareness about the importance of the fabric. We are working on the same quite extensively.
Significance of this day
It was a century ago, on August 31, 1920, that Gandhiji made a vow, saying, “From today for life I declare that I shall purchase for my (wear) only khaddar cloth hand-made of hand-spun yarn, cap or head-dress and socks excepted.” This was because Gandhiji had recognised the power of Swadeshi. However, textile mills in India were never an alternative, they did not boycott fabric bales that arrived from foreign shores.
The reason was valid enough – versatile and traditional Indian weavers were not happy weaving the yarn procured from mills. If they had to weave on their own, the yarn had to be fine and therefore, hand-spun. Gandhiji thus realised that mills simply weren’t an option.
1917 was a momentous year, for that was when Gandhiji saw a charkha for the first time. It was Ganga Behn Mazumdar, a social worker whom he had met at the Broach Educational Conference, who introduced him to the historic charkha. A moment to be etched in golden letters in history, for the charkha became the symbol of nationalism and continues to adorn the lofty spot.
Khadi became an outstanding symbol of self-reliance and prosperity. Bapu said, “We cannot claim to have understood the meaning of Swaraj till khadi becomes as universal as currency.” Kha meaning “food” and di meaning “provider” has employed millions of Indian villagers since then.
If boycotting of foreign cloth was a call before the days of Indian Independence, it ought to be the same now too. Our total import of clothing and fabric has crossed Rs 130 billion annually. Countries like China route cheap materials into India through Bangladesh, which enjoys the benefits of certain trade treaties.
In this age of slow fashion, we ought to think beyond the commonly spelt norms and carve new niches. Khadi is not just handloom. Handloom uses mill yarn while khadi uses hand-spun yarn, labelling it both premium and classic. This makes us all the more dutybound in taking a firm resolve to help our weavers and sansthas in carrying forward their endeavour.
August 31, 1920 transformed Gandhiji into a Khadi Dhari, for life. And look where we stand – still at loggerheads with the same dilemma. We still don’t seem to be ready to own homemade products, however beneficial they be. Our Prime Minister has made a significant intervention in this field, by reinventing the Khadi movement. The annual khadi sales was around Rs 1,000 cr in 2013 which has grown to an annual figure of Rs 4,000 cr in 2019. Now it’s our turn – we citizens should take forth this mission by purchasing khadi fabric.
Bapu had famously said: “Like swaraj, khadi is our birth-right, and it is our life-long duty to use that only. Anyone who does not fulfil that duty is totally ignorant of what swaraj is.” Thus, we must etch in our hearts the valuable lesson that our self-reliance lies in our own hands. If we have to choose between cheap stuff and quality clothing, if we have to choose between swadeshi and videshi, if we have to choose between natural and artificial – the answer is khadi.
Let’s mark this occasion as momentous and see it as an opportunity to think and act, so that we can make voluminous contributions in saving our country’s half a million weavers. So, what are you waiting for? Walk into the nearest khadi bhandar and make a difference.
S Jayashankar is a former Manager of Analytics, Business Consumer and Shopper Insights group at Genpact and is now a full-time khadi worker.