Mumbai: This Gandhi Jayanti, spin your own cloth at Azad Maidan

As India celebrates 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, a giant Charkha, symbolic to Gandhiji will be kept at Azad Maidan on October 2. The charkha won't be just a show-piece people can learn how to spin khadi from a trained expert at the spot.

The spinning wheel or charkha became not only a symbol of the revolution, but it now is a symbol synonymous with the power of self-reliance, perseverance, and determination. From then to now the charkha has initiated an upheaval and marked the path of progress for the Indian spinning industry.

To ensure Indian don't buy British-made products, Gandhiji urged people to use hand-spun, made-in-India cotton to make their clothes.

The Swadeshi movement increased the demand for Indian cotton textile and Indian textile industry grew by leaps and bounds.

Just, last week the government met top fashion designers to suggest how to facilitate khadi institutions to develop designs according to market demand. Sources said the designers present in the meeting will submit their individual proposals shortly to the MSME ministry entailing suggestions to set up design centres.

Apart from teaching charkha, people can buy books on Gandhiji at 50% discounts. The books will be in two forms a smaller version of the autobiography and the other one being the extended version. There will be also mementoes which includes a small size charkha that people buy from there.

Jatin Gandhi, a senior journalist and also a Gandhian, who is behind the organisation of the event, said, "We need Gandhi in today's age more than any time. He is relevant even today and with this event, we aim to bring to people his thoughts and views."

In the week followed by Gandhi Jayanti, there also will be a screening of a movie based on Gandhi at the same venue.

Apart from this, there are many events that are being held across the city, one of them even includes a lecture by noted historian Ramchandra Guha on "Searching for Gandhi" A Biographer's Journey at Mani Bhavan, at Gamdevi on October 2 evening.

GIANT CHARKHA

• The spinning wheel or charkha became not only a symbol of the revolution, but it now is a symbol synonymous with the power of self-reliance, perseverance, and determination
   
• People can buy books on Gandhiji at 50% discounts. They will be in two forms a smaller version of his autobiography