Efforts to make the eco-friendly khadi a much trendier and fashionable garment are paying off as it is becoming popular.
A century ago, Mahatma Gandhi sparked a revolution with charkha and ever since then, khadi continues to grow strong.
"Khadi is becoming increasingly popular among the citizens, especially the youth. This is evident from the fact that larger numbers of people are wearing khadi regularly," said Magan Patel, trustee of Khadi Mandir Trust, Ahmedabad, which sells khadi and other village products.
Patel, a retired principal and believer of Gandhian principles added, "Khadi is not merely a cloth, but it is a thought that is extremely powerful and has an immense potential to change the face of rural India."
"This is the exact idea, what Mahatma Gandhi had in his mind, when he started with the charkha almost 100 years ago," he said further.
Describing khadi as a symbol of simplicity and swadeshi, Patel said, "Khadi is providing employment to thousands of artisans, weavers, printers and sellers in the state and villages across the country, strengthening the rural economy.”
According to Gujarat Rajya Khadi Gramodyog Board, which is engaged in promoting khadi and other village industries, khadi sales in the state have grown in the last few years.
“Khadi sales have increased by more than 50% in the last five years, a sign of its rising popularity on Bapu’s land,” said, DB Paruparla, the executive officer of the Khadi Board.
According to data provided by the Board, khadi sales in Gujarat have risen from Rs30 crore in 2005-06 to Rs46.44 crore in 2009-10. “We are expecting sales in the state to cross Rs50 crore in the current year,” another official of the board said.
However, the officials said the actual sale of khadi in Gujarat will be much higher as large quantity of the cloth from West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and other states is also sold in outlets across the state.
According to KVIC, khadi sales in the country accounted for nearly Rs800 crore, last year, which is significantly higher than previous years.
Officials attributed the rise in khadi sales to a number of reasons. “The khadi is spun and woven entirely by hand, and does not have any hazardous colours or chemicals,. This is why many youth prefer it,” said an official of Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC) said.
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