THE FUTURE OF

KHADI
“The khadi spirit means also an infinite patience”
~Mahatma Gandhi
 What is “Khadi” ?

It is a traditional Indian fabric, which is handmade out of natural fiber like cotton or silk. It is mainly
produced in India. It is a versatile fabric that is cool in summer and warm in winter because hand
spinning a yarn makes the fabric soft and supple as it has very low twist. For India, it is a symbol of
self-reliance and freedom. The best part of Khadi is its organic and zero carbon footprint image.
 Brief history on khadi

In India, the word “Khadi” conjures up images of Mahatma Gandhi and the Swadeshi movement he
led. Gandhi made the Swadeshi Movement synonymous with Khadi. With Khadi, Gandhiji Boycotted
foreign goods. All India Spinners Association was launched with the intention of propagation,
production and the selling of khadi in 1925. Since independence, Khadi was struggling to maintain a
balance between tradition and modernity, but from last 4 years or so, the Khadi fabric has gone a
number of transformations and is now globally accepted. After yoga, Khadi has second most
recollection by non-Indians towards India in the world. About 15 lakh Indians in villages depend on
Khadi Industry either directly or indirectly for their livelihood.
 Steps involved In making of khadi

1. Farming: Cotton balls are handpicked from fields

2. Cleaning: Separation of fibers from cotton seeds
3. Carding: The final traces of trash from fiber is removed and the final product is known as Slivers.
4. Spinning: The slivers are spun into yarn on CHARKHA where they are thinned out and twisted at the same time to
strengthen it
5. Reeling: The spun yarns are then wounded into reels to transport it to weavers
6. Weaving: The reels are hand woven into fabric by skilled artisans
7. Dyeing: The fabric is sent to skilled laborers for dyeing. Majorly, organic vegetable dyes are used to avoid any chemicals
8. Finish: The finished fabric is ready to be sold to the government to be made into garments by retailers and designers.
 Growth of khadi in domestic market

In the Financial year 2017-18, the sale of Khadi grew to Rs 2,503 crore, 25% up from Rs 2,007 crore in
Financial year 2016-17. It is the only sector in the Indian economy to register a double digit growth in
the last three years in both production and sales. The average growth of production in the Khadi sector
was only 6.24% in the decade 2004-14, which jumped to 26.43% in 2015-17. In India, a large number
of corporate brands and PSUs are involved to promote the use of Khadi. Recently, Raymond purchased
more than 2.5 lakh meters of grey fabric and showcased it in its 150 stores across India.
 Brief history of khadi in India

• In India, the word “Khadi” conjures up images of Mahatma Gandhi and the Swadeshi movement he
led. Gandhi made the Swadeshi Movement synonymous with Khadi.
• With Khadi, Gandhiji Boycotted foreign goods. All India Spinners Association was launched with the
intention of propagation, production and the selling of khadi in 1925.
• Since independence, Khadi was struggling to maintain a balance between tradition and modernity, but
from last 4 years or so, the Khadi fabric has gone a number of transformations and is now globally
accepted.
• After yoga, Khadi has second most recollection by non-Indians towards India in the world.
• About 15 lakh Indians in villages depend on Khadi Industry either directly or indirectly for their
livelihood.
 Khadi on international platform

Recent examples
• Gavin Najah, a noted fashion designer, choreographed a
20-minute textile event in Sandton Convention Centre in
Johannesburg in April 2018. This was aimed to project
Khadi in a modern and trendy style.
• In March 2018, Khadi and Village Commission of India
(KVIC) participated in the ‘India Sourcing Fair’ in St
Petersburg, where KVIC products won accolades.
• Raymond has already started selling Khadi in its stores
abroad.
• KVIC had also approached the United Nations (UN) to
promote Khadi in their various rehabilitation programs as it
is one of the environment-friendly products and provides
sustenance to millions of people.
• KVIC plans to open Khadi outlets to promote the products
in global markets. The queries have been received from
Dubai, Chicago, Mauritius and South Africa, under the
franchisee model.
 Why Khadi is still Unpopular among people ?

• In the present form, Khadi is not acceptable for use as

formal wear. It gets crushed easily and gets wrinkles quickly
once wore.
• Khadi clothes shrink easily therefore one needs to iron it
after every wash.
• Since Khadi is made of coarse fibre hence it is not skin
friendly.
• Internationally, people require comfort, easy care, smell
repellent and wrinkle-free clothing, whereas Khadi is
anything but with these properties.
• It is expensive to use ‘Khadi’ as trademark and also KVIC
wishes to keep its exclusivity as it is an expensive fabric.
Presented by -: Dev Raushan
Class -: X (D)
Roll no. -: 10
Holiday Homework (FUTURE OF KHADI )