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#Freedom@70: Journey of Khadi from independence symbol to international brand

First Khadi notched over a Rs 50,000 crore record sale in 2016 and now government is planning to open Khadi outlets outside India to push products made using the indigenous handspun fabric in the global markets

khadiIntroduced with the intention to boycott foreign goods, Khadi became a national movement of freedom under Mahatma Gandhi. The simple act of spinning the charkha became a symbol for Gandhi’s message of truth, non-violence, non-cooperation and self-rule to the nation.

Gandhi started his movement for Khadi in 1918 as relief programme for the poor living in the villages. Spinning and weaving was elevated to an ideology for self-reliance and self-government. After independence, the movement continued, and the All India Khadi and Village Industries Board was created, which later culminated in the formation of Khadi, Village and Industries Commission (KVIC) – the organization responsible for the planning, promotion, organization and implementation of programs for the development of Khadi and other village industries in rural areas).

Ever since then India has witnessed a drastic shift in the way we perceive Khadi. Slowly, this very material which was a symbol of Swadeshi is becoming so hip and trendy that international designers are leaving no stone unturned to work with the material.

After the current NDA government came to power in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took development of Khadi on a priority and hence the legacy of Khadi went beyond freedom fabric to fashion statement.

It was October 3, 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time appealed citizens in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ to buy Khadi and gave it a brand-spin. Going by numbers, immediately Khadi outlets saw their sales jump from 60% to 120%. It means branding is very important.

“Once, Gandhi stood for Khadi and made it a brand. Khadi was symbol of freedom movement.  Gandhi did not only oppose the Manchester’s cloth but gave an alternate employment in the form of Khadi to women and village. And now, Narendra Modi is the brand ambassador for Khadi,” says MSME MoS Giriraj Singh.

The Ministry of MSME is implementing Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) for assisting young entrepreneurs to set up new micro enterprises and to support traditional artisans. Under SFURTI, Khadi, village industries and coir clusters have been taken up for development by providing them with improved equipments, common facility centers, business development services, training, capacity building and design and marketing support, etc.

Under Khadi Reform and Development Programme (KRDP), the NDA government has received support from Asian Development Bank which has helped around 300 units. This includes modernisation of Charkha to make Khadi trendy and contemporary. From the marketing point of view, Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme has been in place to offer a rebate of 20 per cent of the actual production against sanctioned target. It has now been increased to 40 per cent. As a result, there is a lot of improvement in Khadi and today India celebrates Khadi Day on September 19.

To compete in the global market, government has launched Khadi t-shirts, suits and denim Khadi. Brands like Raymond and Aditya Birla Fashion are also spinning exclusive Khadi ranges.

Khadi notched over a Rs 50,000 crore record sale in 2016. Now the government is even planning to open Khadi outlets outside India to push products made using the indigenous handspun fabric in the global markets. The MSME Ministry is discussing the proposal with its Commerce counterpart for opening Khadi outlets in Mauritius, South Africa, Dubai and Chicago.

It is the handmade quality of the fabric with its inherent defects that is the beauty of Khadi which is day-in day-out increasing the demand of the material in the global market.

Swastika Tripathi

Two words - Aspirant Storyteller!

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