Khadi

Khadi symbol of economic independence

Respected Sir/ Madam

                                           





Khadi has been the traditional yarn of the people of India since times immemorial which is most suitable for Indian psyche and climatic conditions. The beauty of this yarn is that in winter it protects you from the chilling cold and in the summer it acts as a shield against the scorching heat. This fibre made the Indian society self reliant as it helped in creating a social fibre network in every nook and corner of the country. The British rulers mercilessly demolished this vast socio-economic edifice and started exporting yarn from India to Manchester and other industrial towns in Britain. It was a calculated move on their part to destroyed our cultural heritage, ancient guru - shishya education system, our need based economic as against the highly consumer based materialistic approach, mutilation of the dexterous hands of our skilled artisans we could make finest of muslin etc, they wanted to reduced highly cultured, educated Indians with high moral values to the level of cutters of wood and drawers of water. This status of our country before the Britishers came to India and after they left India is evident from the following address of  Lord Macaulay’s  address to the British parliament on February 2 , 1835.
I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if  the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose  their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation.’

It is in this context that we should adopt Khadi and other Indian values to achieve our past glory. We can tackle the highly vexed and gargantuan twin-problem of unemployment and poverty, which, we are fully aware, is already receiving the best attention of our Prime Minister and his government. According to a rough estimate, if just one-third of the total population of the country USES only 5 metres of KHADI per person per year, the scourge of unemployment and poverty can be banished from our country to a great extent.  5 metres per person per year is indeed a very small quantity which even the people belonging to lowest strata of the society can afford.   In fact, this quantity could easily be doubled.  The targeted population could be:

1) Central Govt. and State Govt. employees and their families.

2) Armed forces and para-military forces and their families.

3) School children.  In some schools in Rajasthan, Khadi uniforms for school children are already invogue.

4) Public Sector Undertakings and Bank employees and their families.

5) A vast majority of people in the business community, farming community and unorganized sector.

         On the part of the Government (Textile Ministry and Khadi &Village Industries Commission –KVIC), it needs to be ensured that a suitable quality and sufficient quantity of yard, skilled man power, manufacturing and marketing facilities are in place). Just as people had adopted Khadi during the freedom struggle for their political freedom, we are sure that people will gladly adopt Khadi for their economic freedom in Independent India.  We can develop a kit for anybody who wants to engage himself/herself who can make Khadi by sitting at home and KVIC could become a nodal agency for marketing a products. We are sure that if the Prime Minister makes a clarion call to the people in your “Mann Ki Baat” programme , for adopting Khadi on a large scale it will have a massive response like the voluntary surrender of CNG subsidy by a large number of con summers.  If required, we would be happy to share/exchange our views on this matter with the concerned officers of the Textile Ministry or KVIC to take this matter to a logical conclusion.
                   

Thanks & regards,
Krish. Sunilkumar,
Social Worker.
Email me : krish.sunilkumar@protonmail.com










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