Khadi

Khadi (pronounced [kʰaːd̪iː]; IAST: Khādī) or Khaddar is a term for handspun and hand-woven cloth from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan primarily made out of cotton.

The cloth is primarily 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, khādī/khaddar is sometimes starched to give it a stiffer feel. It is widely accepted in fashion circles.

India

In India, Khadi is not just a cloth, it is a whole movement started by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The Khadi movement promoted an ideology, an idea that Indians could be self-reliant on cotton and be free from the high priced goods and clothes which the British were selling to them. The British would buy cotton from India at cheap prices and export them to Britain where they were woven to make clothes. These clothes were then brought back to India to be sold at hefty prices. The khadi movement aimed at boycotting foreign goods including cotton and promoting Indian goods, thereby improving India's economy. Mahatma Gandhi began promoting the spinning of khādī for rural self-employment and self-reliance (instead of using cloth manufactured industrially in Britain) in 1920s India thus making khadi an integral part and icon of the Swadeshi movement. The freedom struggle revolved around the use of khādī fabrics and the dumping of foreign-made clothes. When some people complained about the costliness of khadi to Mahatma Gandhi, he started wearing only dhoti.

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Latest News for: khadi

Khadi And Village Industries Sales Cross All-Time High Of Rs 1.7 Lakh Crore In FY25

MENA FN 21 Apr 2025
(MENAFN - IANS) New Delhi, April 21 (IANS) The sales of Khadi and Village Industries have registered a five-fold jump from Rs 31,154.19 crore in 2013-14 to an all-time high of Rs 1,70,551.37 crore ... .

WAVES 2025: Finalists Announced for “Make the World Wear Khadi” Challenge (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Republic of India)

Public Technologies 09 Apr 2025
Finalists Announced for "Make the World Wear Khadi" Challenge ... WAVES to Honour Winning Campaigns Reimagining Khadi ... Sharing insights behind their work, the participants reflected on Khadi's ...
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