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The first true Indian designer was Mahatma Gandhi
when he urged the people of India to wear khadi garments. It was not
only a call to create self reliance but a call to create self
reliance but a call to wear something that could prove the unity of
India. Khadi was given a more important status by Gandhi after his
return from South Africa. While in search of the charkha Gandhi felt
that for a nation to turn self-reliant, it had to return to
indigenous manufactured goods.
Gandhi wrote. Swaraj
(self-rule) without swadeshi (country made goods) is a
lifeless corpse and if Swadeshi is the soul of Swaraj,
khadi is the essence of swedeshi. Therefore khadi
became not only a symbol of revolution and resistance but part
of an Indian identity.
Gandhi confessed though,
When I first discovered the spinning wheel it was purely through
intuition. It was not backed by knowledge so much so that I confused
charkha with kargha (handloom).
These two forms of
fabrics have always confused people. While khadi is hand made,
handloom yarn is processed at the mills.
Many fashion conscious
Indians will know that India’s rendezvour with textile dates
back to ancient times when the Aryans in the Vedic period
produced their own cloth. In fact, khadi (which means any
cloth that is hand spun and hand woven) had a most religious role in
marriages when brides in India were presented with a khada charkha
in their wedding trousseau to encourage spinning of the yarn.
Roman gold, says history,
paid for the import of Indian textiles, while Alexander the Great,
when he invaded the country in 327 BC, was dazzled by the art of
fabric making and printing as also was Marco Polo the Venetian
traveler. It was in 1921 that Gandhi launched the movement of spin
your own cloth and buy hand spun cloth which gained momentum making
khadi the fabric of the freedom struggle.
Around that time Gandhi
used khadi as the uniform for the first Non Cooperation
movement and the Gandhi cap had strong symbolic overtones- that of
the Indo-British battle over the looms of Manchester and a bid for a
modern Indian identity. So deep rooted was the sentiment attached to
this fabric that Pandit Nehru wove for his daughter Indira a wedding
sari in salmon pink khadi while he was in jail. This sari is still
worn by women of the Nehru-Gandhi family on their wedding day.
In 1953 when the Khadi
and Village Industries Board was established it had only 156
registered institutions. Today every village however remote or small
has it own khadi institutions. Initially the weaving of khadi
was rather difficult as it was impossible tow eave a full length of
cotton with the uneven khadi thread and at one time Gandhi is
believed to have threatened to wear a sack if he was not provided
with a khadi dhoti. Today the range of khadi products
is unlimited from garments to household linen to furnishings, etc.
The weaving of khadi
is preceded by the spinning of the thread on the charkha after
which it goes to the bobbin winder, warper, sizer and finally the
weaver. While spinning is organized by the khadi Board, weaving
is done by the weaver at his home in an individual capacity. Spinning
is mostly done by the girls and women in the villages, while weaving
is dominated by men. Because of the work involved, the price of the
khadi cloth when it reaches the shops is more than that of the
mill or handloom cloth.
Khadi over the
decades has moved from a freedom fighter’s identity fabric to a
fashion garment. At one time it was scorned as fabric for the farmer
and the rural wearer. Today there is such an increasing demand for
khadi is such an increasing demand for khadi cloth that
despite the million workers all over the country involved in spinning
it they are unable to meet the demands of the market.
In 1989 the first high
fashion khadi show was presented in Mumbai by the Khadi and
Village Industries Commission (KVIC) where nearly 85 dazzling
garments were created by Devika Bhojwani.
There was an exciting
array of eastern and western attire. Devika had launched the Swadesi
label in 1985 which was distributed through nearly 5000 Khadi
Gramodyog Bhandars and Emporia.
In 1990 designer Ritu
Kumar of Delhi presented her first Khadi collection at the
Crafts Museum. Her Tree of Life show, an audio visual
tableau spanning the history of textiles in India, showed the
design lexicon of the country, the creators of textiles, those who
have regenerated textile crafts and those who would wear the
garments.
Eight collections were
presented of which khadi was a very significant one. Since
then the Tree of Life show has been presented several times
for charity and caused a stir with its creations. Once again in 1997
Ritu Kumar presented the Tree of Life shown this time in
London where the British were amazed with her khadi collections.
Once the sign of freedom,
Khadi today holds it own on the fashion scene… it is a
part of every wardrobe when it comes to selecting fabric with a
discerning eye, informs Rity Kumar.
Today the younger
generation may draw inspiration from the way film and MTV stars are
dressing, but there was a time when fashion too was dictated by our
political leaders More than the dresses it was what they signified
and the fiery personalities behind them that caught the imagination
of the masses and influenced them to unwaveringly follow the
footsteps of their leaders, even in adapting the way they dressed,
recalls Ritu Kumar.
Reveals Ritu, Actually,
they were the first generation growing up after Independence and so
the need to underline their identity was immense. There was also the
need to emerge with something totally different and in opposition
from the dress code foreign rulers had imposed.
Another person who ahs
been working regularly with khadi is Kamal Wadkar, the well
know promoter of traditional crafts. For decades khadi has
been associated with rural wear. Although many would say it is just
the right fabric for the Indian climate due to its loose weave and
cool texture, khadi lacked that touch of style which other
fabrics like rubia, linen or cotton had observes Kamal.
Kamal has been associated
with the Gujarat Handicrafts Board (Gurjari) and the Mumbai Khadi
Sangh. Her exhibitions in Mumbai for KVIC (Khadi Village Industries
Commission) have netted nearly Rs.12.5 million. Kamal has presented
nearly 4500 garments in 150 styles in different colours weaves and
embellishment with prices ranging from Rs.460-750.
Her exhibition titled
Elegance in Khadi and Khubsoorat Khadi with eight designer
collections presented ethnic wear in varied forms besides western
garments.
But since Khadi
is woven by hand in villages it is often difficult to provide large
quantities of the fabric at short notice. Yet it is this handmade
quality of the fabric with its inherent defects that is the beauty of
Khadi and that is what the buyer wants at times. Says Kamal it
is not a poor man’s fabric although it provides employment to
the poor man. It is a very up-market fabric emphasizes Kamal.
Khadi dhotis are turned into printed Kurtas and dupattas.
There are times when the
price and coarseness of the fabric deterred the fashion conscious
from wearing it. But today khadi has many faces which are not
just restricted to cotton. There is Khadi is quite competitive
now and depending on the style of the garment it could range between
Rs.400-2500.
There is a quaint story
of how Gandhi while visiting a poor village spoke to an old woman
huddled in her dark dingy hut asking if there was anything she
needed. The woman said she had everything pointing to an old charkha
in the corner.
The rediscovery of the
charkha has brought in a new economic thinking for Indians. It has
given new life to the individual made him more resourceful and self
dependent. Making khadi a true start of democracy in the true sense.
Khadi, however, can no longer be sold on an emotional level. A new
approach has to be adopted for the new generation who are unaware of
its original implications. It will be worthwhile for the young and
trendy generations of the 90s to discover the beauty of khadi and
support is as a fabric of our tradition.
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