DH Radio | The Lead: The spiritual message of Mahatma Gandhi's khadi

In this episode of The Lead from DH Radio, Santosh Koulagi of the Janapada Seva Trust tells us what Khadi means, the message that Mahatma Gandhi gave, and the state of Khadi culture today.

Ahmed Shariff: Today is Gandhi Jayanti and when one talks about Gandhi, the first thing that comes to mind is a spinning Charaka weaving the powerful Khadi.

Hi, this is Ahmed Shariff and today we are joined by Santosh Koulagi of the Janapada Seva Trust, who established Hosa Jeevana Daari which translates to a new way of life, which is a centre for sustainable living alternatives and he also started a Khadi unit. Hi sir, welcome to DH Radio.

Santosh Koulagi: Hi.

Ahmed: Not many know, what Khadi is? Can you explain and shed some light on the close links between Gandhiji and the Khadi.

Santosh: The Khadi is a fabric for many people which is hand-spun and handwoven. It was a traditional weaving method which was happening in India for centuries. By the time, Gandhi entered the political arena of India, the weaving and Khadi industry was diminishing because of the mill-produced fabric which was coming from England. The cotton went all the way from here to Manchester and came back as a finished good.

Because of that a lot of artisans in rural India lost their livelihood. The spinners, the weavers, the dyers and block printers all lost their jobs. At the same time, companies in the UK started making a lot of money. So Gandhi thought that it was high time for Indians to encourage local artisans and local production...

To know more about the conversation, listen to the podcast...