The term khādī or khaddar means cotton. khādī 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 a charkha. It is a versatile fabric, cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
It was at the time of the Nagpur session (1920) that the Indian National Congress decided to encourage "Khadi". The first Khadi Production Centre was established at Katiawad, Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi used to refer to Khadi as "The livery of freedom".
In fact, Khadi was a political weapon and the best instrument for giving concrete expression to the Swadeshi Spirit to boycott foreign goods. Khadi rendered an opportunity to every man, woman and child to cultivate self-discipline and self-sacrifice as a part of the non-cooperation movement.
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 wear something that could prove the unity of India. Khadi was given a more important status by Gandhi after his return from South Africa.
Khadi over the decades has moved from a freedom fighter’s identity fabric to a fashion garment.
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.
Once considered a uniform of politicians, the fabric now caters to the needs of today's fashion-conscious age-group.Populararised by many fashion designers, the fabric has gained international recognition and is now in fashion.
"Khadi is in fashion these days. Earlier only politicians used to wear it, that too, only white kurta pajama. But nowadays, many fashion designers have also developed Khadi a lot. Ladies kurti, jeanswear, everything is available in Khadi. Today, people wear Khadi for fashion.
Everybody should wear it, it is such a cheap fabric and there is a lot of variety available in it as well," said Bhikha Bhai Desai, a Khadi trader.
Customers at the Khadi exhibition were amazed to see the age-old fabric in a completely new appearance.
"Trends have changed. Moreover, it provides employment to a large number of people in the rural areas and is a flourishing business at present.
In fact, Khadi was a political weapon and the best instrument for giving concrete expression to the Swadeshi Spirit to boycott foreign goods. Khadi rendered an opportunity to every man, woman and child to cultivate self-discipline and self-sacrifice as a part of the non-cooperation movement.
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 wear something that could prove the unity of India. Khadi was given a more important status by Gandhi after his return from South Africa.
Khadi over the decades has moved from a freedom fighter’s identity fabric to a fashion garment.
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.
Once considered a uniform of politicians, the fabric now caters to the needs of today's fashion-conscious age-group.Populararised by many fashion designers, the fabric has gained international recognition and is now in fashion."Khadi is in fashion these days. Earlier only politicians used to wear it, that too, only white kurta pajama. But nowadays, many fashion designers have also developed Khadi a lot. Ladies kurti, jeanswear, everything is available in Khadi. Today, people wear Khadi for fashion.
Everybody should wear it, it is such a cheap fabric and there is a lot of variety available in it as well," said Bhikha Bhai Desai, a Khadi trader.
Customers at the Khadi exhibition were amazed to see the age-old fabric in a completely new appearance.
"Trends have changed. Moreover, it provides employment to a large number of people in the rural areas and is a flourishing business at present.
No comments:
Post a Comment