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Fashion output on Khadi in Bangladesh : A Review

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 Fashion Output on Khadi in Bangladesh: A Review

Md Zafar Alam Bhuiyan

Assistant Professor of Fashion Design & Assistant Proctor, Shanto-Mariam University of
Creative Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Ready-made garment and Merchandising Expert,
Bangladesh; Reviewer, IGI Global, USA, Editorial Board Member IRMJ Journal, USA

Abstract: Khadi is a name of fabric by which a great movement of self-reliance is inscribed in the
then the Indian sub-continent by a great leader, Mahatma Gandhi. It was a successful movement
by him and his followers. Some of the people in India and Bangladesh have taken the initiative to
heighten the significant fabric in an aristocratic manner. In course of time, though Khadi has lost
its full stream due to the different very relevant factors, it is still alive in some localities like
Comilla, Dhaka and some others parts of Bangladesh and around Kolkata. Fashion houses of
Bangladesh are still producing products based on the fabric which are purchased by the arts and
cultural conscious people.

Introduction:

Khadi or khaddar is handspun and hand-woven cloth from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan mainly
made out of cotton. The cloth is usually woven from cotton and may also include silk, or wool,
which are all spun into yarn on a spinning wheel called a charkha. It is a versatile fabric, cool in
summer and warm in winter. In order to improve the look, khaddar is sometimes starched to give
it a stiffer feel. It is widely accepted in fashion circles. Khadi is being promoted in India by Khadi
and Village Industries Commission.

History of Khadi

From the earliest times, the spinning wheel or Charkha had been plied in Indian homes, the
excavation at Harappa and Mohan-jo-dare reveal that the charkha was a part of the Indian
household. The Vedic Aryan also used the charkha. The Buddhist age also the charkha continued
to be plied. In the region of Mauryas, there existed a large organization to deal with matters
connected with spinning and weaving. The spinners were women who did the work at home in
their spare time. The entire process from picking of the raw cotton so carding, slivering, spinning

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and weaving was done by hand. It involved great skill and our textiles were unrivalled for their
excellence.
Foreign travellers like ‘Marco Polo’ (1288) and ‘Tavernier” (1660) wrote in details about the
excellence of Indian cotton fabrics. In the Mughal period, hand spinning and weaving continued
to be an important occupation. The fabrics were known for their exquisite beauty. From the
Sixteenth century, foreign traders i.e. the Portuguese, the Dutch the French and the British had
begun to come to India from the West. By the seventeenth century, the English trader’s set-up the
East India Trading Corporation in English with the main object of importing Indian goods
including textiles. But the influx of Indian fabrics excited the jealousy of the weavers in England.
The British Parliament passed an Act imposing excessive duties on cloth from India. It also
imposed heavy penalties on the users of Indian fabrics in England. Afterwards, the British, lowered
duties levied on English goods coming to India and imposed heavy duty even on inland transit on
Indian products. As a result, India was flooded with cheap cotton goods from England where the
adoption of the mechanical invention gave the manufacturers an advantage over Indian weavers,
which affected seriously the position of the Indian spinners and weavers.

Revolution of Khadi

The last one-half centuries can be

split into following distinct phases, viz.
1. (1854 – 1920)
2. (1920 – 25)
3. (1925 – 35)
4. (1935 – 44)
5. (1944 – 53)
6. and the current phase (1953 onwards)

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(Khadi: India's Pride, 2016)
First Stage of Revolution
The first cotton mill of India was started in Bombay in 1854. The economic and cultural
consequences of this event were disastrous. Due to sudden mechanization, the concept

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of wages and labour underwent a transformation and the dignity of the art of spinning and weaving
of Khadi was a lot. The contemporary social fabric of the rural areas disrupted severally. During
Swadeshi movement, people were asked to boycott British goods. After 1905, the movement
spread to the whole of the country. But, khadi was still not in vogue, and the handlooms worked
with mill-spun yarn. Afterwards, in 1915, khadi came into its own. Gandhiji discovered in the
spinning wheel, the panacea wheel, the panacea for India’s poverty and also the symbol of nation’s
struggle for freedom. By 1921, khadi become a part of the national movement. In 1926, Gandhiji
advocated khadi as the only true” Swadeshi”. He declared “Swadeshi” is the soul of “Swaraj”,
Khadi is the essence of Swadeshi.

The only Swadeshi cloth is ‘Khaddar’ because, in the manufacture of it, millions of persons can
participate. As the non-cooperation movement under Gandhiji progressed, the popularity of khadi
increased. Khadi, become the livery of freedom. The spirit of khadi become synonymous with
plain living and high thinking khadi become a symbol of the Nation’ will to labor and sacrifice
and it stood for a new social order free from inequities and inequalities and also it upheld the
principle of ‘bread labor’i.e. the truth that man must live by the sweat of his brow.

Second stage of revolution

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Khadi was introduced in 1920 with a primary intention to make the boycott of foreign goods in
general, particularly foreign cloths and provide an opportunity to every man, women and child for
self-discipline and self-sacrifice as a part of the non-cooperation movement. However, this was
linked with the necessity of finding work for spinner and weavers as a measure of relief from the
evil of widespread unemployment. In 1923, an All India Khadi Board under the supervision of the
Indian National Congress, with branches in all States was constituted to create an organization for
the coordinated development of the khadi program.

Third stage of revolution

In 1925, an autonomous organization named the All India Spinners Association or the Akhil Bharat
Charkha Sangh was created. The AISA, till 1935, concentrated its activity on propagation,
production and sale of khadi. The effort was made to adapt production to the requirements and

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tests of people in the urban area. The technique of carding, spinning, weaving, dyeing and printing
was considerably improved and new varieties of khadi were placed on the market. In 1933, 10
million sq. yards of cloth were produced and partial employment was estimated at 2 lakh persons.
However, during this time, a considerable expansion of demand led to the production of spurious
khadi and steps had to be taken to counteract this un-wholesome practice. Gandhiji, however,
continued to emphasize upon the village khadi, it’s style and durability to suit the taste of the
villagers and create a better and more real bond between ginners, carders, spinners and weavers,
on the one hand, and khadi workers on the other. He emphasized that ‘khadi’ can be permanent
only when it had obtained a permanent footing as a village wear. During this period, production
for sale in town and cities became the main pre-occupation of khadi workers. There was a
considerable expansion of production, techniques were improved, new varieties of goods were put
in the market and an atmosphere for development was created.

Fourth Stage of revolution

In the next two phases, social objectives became the primary object of consideration. Gandhiji
raised the issue of giving the spinners ‘living wage’ i.e. the spinners family had to have the means
for sustenance at a minimum level, i.e. minimum for maintenance of health of the family and the
rates of wages have to be high enough to make it possible to earn his income for a full day’s work.

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In 1938, it was decided to introduce uniform wage
chart of spinners. Besides the payment of standard wages, Mahatma Gandhi stressed the
importance of other social objectives, like
(i) self-sufficiency,
(ii) decentralization of production and consumption,
(iii) establishment of a personal touch with the khadi workers and befriend them in all-
round economic development in their economic condition,
(iv) Cultivation of cotton practically in every village without which khadi, according to
Gandhiji, could never succeed

Fifth stage of revolution

In this phase, social significance and importance of khadi received a new and fresh emphasis a
Gandhiji placed before the conference of workers convened in 1944, his views on the position and
future of khadi. In his view, khadi, in spite of selfless work and sacrifice of many, had failed to

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achieve its object. The central theme of his new approach was that khadi could begin ‘to have
permanent effect only when carried out as a part and parcel of the wider program of non-violent
age, uplift of village reconstruction – this he called “Samagra Seva” which meant work for re-
organization of the entire rural economy on a new basis.

Khadi after Independence

After the attainment of independence in 1947, the AISA prepared an ambitious plan for meeting
plan for meeting the clothing requirements of the country through hand spinning and hand weaving
and at the same time, giving employment to a large number of persons in rural areas. In the first
five-year plan, the Planning Commission recommended in view of the growing problem of
unemployment, creation of a central organization which could give close attention to the problems
of khadi and village industries and help create

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favourable conditions for action by State Governments constructive organizations and village
cooperatives. The Government of India accepted the recommendations of the Planning
Commission and in January 1953, the All India Khadi and Village Industries Board was set up.
This Board took over the activity from the Akhil Bharat Sarva Seva Sangh in which the AISA was
already merged earlier. Afterwards, in 1957, a statutory body called the Khadi and Village
Industries Commission was established by the Government of India under an act of Parliament, in
order to overcome certain procedural difficulties which were hampering the progress of KVI
program. Even after the formation of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, the Khadi and
Village Industries Board continued to be an advisory board of this Commission.
Khadi Making process
Khadi fabrics are generally that fabric which is especially handspun to hand woven with the raw
materials like cotton, silk, wool etc. Sandur Kushal Kendra supports the making of the Khadi
material, from roving it is hand spun to yarns with the Hand Spinning equipment to the spindles.
The yarns from the spindles are either wound to the bobbins or the pins as per the requirement.
In case of the coloured yarn, the yarn from the spindle is wound to hank form and then taken for
dyeing. After drying completely, it is taken for winding and weaving respectively as per the pattern
of designs. Khadi materials are said to be the first that produced its indigenous produced goods at
one time which used to concentrate with the naturally available materials. Even today some of the
craftsmen still rely on the naturally made dyestuff for enhancing the outlook for the products.

Few cases the Synthetic dyes and dyestuffs are also preferred as per the time and the end product
to be obtained. The yarns from the bobbins are taken for the warping process and placed on the

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looms. By the knotting process, the loaded warp beams are loaded on to the looms. Generally, the
Pit looms or the Frame looms are preferred for the weaving of Khadi materials with the hand
driven, foot pedals and the fly shuttle for weaving.
Different ways of making khadi as follows:
1.Hand picking of the cotton
2.Ginning
3.Opening and cleaning
4.Carding
5.Drawing and combing
6.Roving
7.Spinning
8.Sizing
9.Wrapping
10.Drawing and drafting
11.Weaving
12.Finishing

Type of khadi fabrics

Cotton khadi
Poly khadi
khadi wool
Khadi muslin khadi silk Cotton khadi

Khadi silk

Poly khadi
Khadi wool

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Khadi Culture in Bangladesh

Khadi has a long history in Bangladesh. In the 6th Century, a local variation of Khadi cloth was
described by Huen Tsang of China and Marco Polo in the 12th century AD describes a fabric, most
probably Khadi Muslin in the Bengal region to be fine as the spider’s web. Romans were great
aficionados of Bengal khadi Muslin and imported vast amounts of fabrics.

The khadi weaves of Comilla during the Mughal period were renowned as valuable textiles with
distinctive characteristics.

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Khadi also has a long history in Bangladesh. Dating back to the 12 century A.D. Marco Polo
described Khadi of the Bengal region as finer than a spider's web. The Romans were also great
admirers of the Bengal Khadi Muslin and used to import great amounts of fabrics.
In 1946, Gandhi visited Noakhali on a ‘Peace Mission’. During his time there, the Ambika Kalinga
Charitable Trust was formed. The Trust was later discouraged and dampened by the Pakistan
government at the time. In 1975, some years after the independence of Bangladesh, the trust was
reformed and renamed as The Gandhi Ashram Trust. The Trust included income generating
activities and initiatives which included the production of hand-spun khadi. During the Mughal
period, the weaves of Comilla were also known for their distinctive characteristics. The high-
quality sari, dhoti, lungi and gamcha production with locally spun yarns and weaves were reported
by the Tripura Gazetteer in the 1890s. Weaving centres were developed in Mainamati, Gouripur,
Murad Nagar and Chandina in Comilla (Prabhu, 2011).

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Gandhi, in 1921 visited Chandina to inspire the local weavers and this led to the establishment of
the Nikhil Bharat Tantubai Samity. This was established to increase the sale of these goods and to
export the Khadi to the major cities in India. Dr Akhtar Hamid Khan and Governor Firoz Khan
Noon in 1952 established The Khadi and Cottage Industry Association. A Khadi specialist was
brought in from India, along with over 400 charkas to train, improve and assist in the production
of Khadi. Regrettably, today it is hard to find masterly expertise in the weaves of Bangladeshi
Khadi. Designers and retailers have both failed to restore and resurrect the production of Khadi
which is why it is all the more important for us to invest in the development of this almost forgotten
craft.

Khadi Culture in India

In India, Khadi refers to hand-woven cloth. Weavers prefer the yarn produced by Mills because it
is more robust and of consistent quality. During the first two decades of the Twentieth Century,
Indian Mill owners backed Nationalist politicians who called for a boycott of foreign cloth. This
'Swadeshi' movement attracted Mahatma Gandhi who was opposed to industrialization. He argued
that the Mill owners would deny handloom weavers an opportunity to buy yarn because they would
prefer to create a monopoly for their own cloth. However, the handspun yarn was of poor quality
and too costly. Thus, Mahatma Gandhi started spinning himself and encouraging others to do so.
He made it obligatory for all members of the Indian National Congress to spin cotton themselves
and to pay their dues in yarn. He further made the 'chakri' (spinning wheel) the symbol of the
Nationalist movement. Initially, the Indian flag was supposed to have a chakri, not the 'Ashoka
wheel' at its centre. Mahatma Gandhi collected large sums of money to create a grass-roots
organization to encourage handloom weaving. This was called 'khaddar' or 'Khadi' movement.
Mohandas Gandhi.The Khadi movement promoted a socio-cultural aesthetic, an idea that Indians
could be self-reliant on cotton and be free from foreign cloth and clothing (Khadi: India's Pride,
2016).The British were selling very high-cost cloths to the Indians who bought them because of
their superior quality. The Indian Mill owners wanted to monopolise the Indian market themselves
and so they supported Mahatma Gandhi and his khadi movement. Ever since the American Civil
War had caused a shortage of American cotton, Britain would buy cotton from India at cheap
prices and use the cotton to manufacture cloth. Some portion

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of these clothes were then brought back to India to be sold at hefty prices because Indians preferred
to buy good quality and durable cloth at a higher price rather than cheap rubbish.

The khadi movement by Gandhi aimed at boycotting foreign cloth because it was financed by
Indian Mill owners who wanted to promote Indian goods, thereby improving India's economy and
their own profits. Mahatma Gandhi began promoting the spinning of khadi for rural self-
employment and self-reliance (instead of using cloth manufactured industrially in Britain) in the
1920s in India, thus making khadi an integral part and an icon of the Swadeshi movement.

The freedom struggle revolved around the use of khadi fabrics and the dumping of foreign-made
clothes. When some people complained about the costliness of khadi to Mahatma Gandhi, he
started wearing the only dhoti though, of course, he used wool shawls when it got cold. The

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handloom weavers found that homespun cotton produced by Mahatma Gandhi and his disciples-
including School Children in Gandhi's 'Basic Education' Schools- was useless. Some were able to
make a reasonable living by using high-quality mill yarn and catering to the luxury market.
Mahatma Gandhi tried to put an end to this practice. He even threatened to give up khadi altogether
if he didn't get his way. However, since the weavers would have starved if they listened to Gandhi,
nothing came of this threat. After Independence, the Government reserved some types of textile
production- e.g. towel manufacture- for the handloom sector. This resulted in a deskilling of
traditional weavers and a boost for the power-loom sector which was supposed to be a cottage
industry. Private Sector enterprises have been able to make handloom weaving somewhat
remunerative. Mahatma Gandhi's khadi program- despite huge subsidies- failed to do so. This does
not prevent various state governments and the Government of India periodically appealing to
citizens to promote the usage of Khadi. In the 21st century, a new breed of Indian designers began
experimenting with this versatile fabric, ensuring that khadi remained in vogue.
While the eco-friendly fabric was already known for its rugged texture, comfortable feel and ability
to keep people warm in winter as well as cool in summer, its new-age reinterpretation as a modern
yet quintessentially Indian textile has made it very appealing to millennial generation (Brittannica,
2017).

Khadi the Signature Fabric of India

From being referred to as the “Livery of Freedom” by the Mahatma and “Clothing for Liberation”
by a more contemporary writer Peter Gonsalves to being an unprofitable commercial venture,
khadi has indeed come a long way.

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Although its form, from being rough ‘khaddar' has definitely improved, its essence and impact,
unfortunately, has declined. Peter Gonsalves argues in his book Clothing for Liberation that khadi
was used by Gandhiji less as a garment but more as a message to both Indians and British.
According to Gonsalves, against the British, khadi was used as a symbol of homogeneity, the
absence of status, simplicity and nakedness or uniform clothing.

It was the instrument which made the Swadeshi movement possible, which created the greatest
cooperative in the world and which forced the mills in Lancashire to shut down. For the Mahatma,
khadi was the means to the economic liberation of the masses. He had observed that “political
liberty must include economic liberty of the starving millions”. Poverty was considered by him as
one of the biggest impediments to attaining ‘poorna swaraj' as it dehumanized human beings,
undermined their sense of dignity and wasted their potential. For him, every country had an
obligation to arrange its economic affairs in a manner that the needs of all its masses are met.He
felt that in order to accomplish this, India should try to formulate its very own humane economic
model. Gandhiji realized that unlike the West, India has excessive labour because of which there
was acute unemployment. Since capital was scarce, low capital and skill intensive, the full
employment-oriented industry was needed. He saw the employment opportunities created by the
khadi movement as the solution. Even today, although khadi makes only one percent of the textile
industry, it employs 20 lakh people (Bansal, 2016).

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Gandhiji, being the great visionary, he was, foresaw the repercussions of large-scale
industrialization and market economy fed on consumerism. He felt that such economic
ethics estranged economic life from moral considerations, made the pursuit of wealth the ultimate
human goal and disturbed the equilibrium between man and nature. He, therefore, advocated the
minimization of wants and emphasized on “a need-based as against greed-based life”. Gandhiji's
sympathy, sensitivity and support to the suffering masses made it inconceivable for him to accept
a lifestyle higher than the lowest in the land and so, he created the concept of “consume only what
you can produce”. Production of a homespun cloth was an exemplary medium of manifesting this.

Uses of Khadi Categories

These days Khadi has become a brand name and under the name of this brand many other products

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is being launched some of the products are:
✓ Woolen Products
✓ Hospital Linen
✓ Leather Products
✓ Organic Manure
✓ Handmade Paper and products

Khadi is the only fabric which is said to be “eco-friendly” and hence increases its extent in the
fashion world.
Khadi today represents an exquisite, heritage product, which is ‘ethnic’ as well as ‘ethical’.
Khadi totally handcrafted and containing natural fibres, this natural flavour offers ample scope for
fashion statement for the creative expression of fashion designers.

Garments made of Khadi

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Page | 19
Fashion Designers Using “KHADI” in their Collection

Ritu Kumar Sabyasachi Mukherjee

David Abraham

Sabyasachi's Collection Ritu Kumar's show

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Bess Nielsen's collection Kim's collection

Reviving KHADI in India (Corporate Restructure)

To display Khadi's potential, KVIC organized a fashion show in Mumbai in 1989. Nearly 85
dazzling garments created by Devika Bhojwani were presented at the show. This was the first step
towards changing Khadi's earlier image of being unfashionable.
In 1990, the Delhi based designer, Ritu Kumar presented her first Khadi collection, Tree of Life,
which helped put Khadi in the fashion circuit. With increasing interest in the western world in use
of handloom and Khadi, many Indian designers began to use Khadi for their designs.
In September 2000, Vasundhara Raje, Minister for Small Scale Industries, initiated a movement
to revive all the 7,000 KVIC shops in India and make Khadi more fashionable and affordable. The
KVIC Board hired the services of leading fashion designers to help create a new range and brand
of Khadi wear.

Analysis of KHADI

Strength

✓ Khadi has a very good drape and contains a great potential

✓ Eco-friendly
✓ Connects to freedom movement
✓ Statement about your lifestyle and values/austere

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Weakness

✓ Less awareness and preference for foreign brands

✓ Lack of artisans
✓ Lack of promotional activities
✓ Lack of fund
✓ Low wages for artisans

Opportunity

✓ Only 4% of khadi is contributed to India’s annual fabric production so it can be increased

with few efforts
✓ New technologies like DCY technology and Ambar charkha(e-charkha)
✓ New markets
✓ New products

Threat
✓ Preparation of Khadi is an expensive procedure which kills the scope of its popularity
✓ Online market
✓ Intense competition

Conclusion

What really works for Khadi is its texture. Khadi works better generally in tunics and simpler
shapes because of its fall and drape. Khadi has breathability which works in its favour. Khadi’s
unique thermal effect lends warmth in winter and makes it a cool summer fabric. Khadi is
ecologically viable as it does not use harmful chemicals.

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 Bibliography
Bansal, A. (2016). '"Khadi" the Miraculous Indian Fabric. The Closet Weekly.
Brittannica, T. E. (2017). East Indian Company. Enclyclopedia Brittannica.
(2016). Khadi: India's Pride. Neelam Kumari.
Prabhu, H. J. (2011). Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi. Delhi.
Wikipedia. (2017). Khadi. Dhaka: Wikidedia.

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