Khadi in vogue

This Gandhi Jayanthi, let us don the traditional khadi that spells patriotism and comfort

Khadi has always been synonymous with Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation. This hand-woven cloth, which is defined by the effort that goes into its creation, often stands for patriotism, self-reliance and emancipation. It is no wonder that the prime minister, Narendra Modi himself went all out to promote khadi in 2014, bringing it back in fashion.

And that’s not all. Fashion designers swear by it, youngsters sport it and foreigners love to explore it. The hand-spun cloth has evolved considerably -- from its modest origins, the versatile fabric is now taking up numerable forms, even gracing the ramps and catwalks. Khadi now comes in more than 30 colours, and is no longer called the almond-coloured fabric. In addition, you have kurtas, trousers, shirts, pants, t-shirts, dresses and jackets.

Khadi kurta is very popular with youngsters. “Donning a kurta with a pair of jeans is not only comfortable but looks very smart,” says Mathews Jose, who switched to Khadi fabric recently. For Sneha Lakshmi, khadi looks chic as well as elegant. Khadi not only comes cheap but is skin-friendly as well. Variety in design and colour spoil us with choices,” says Lakshmi.

The sale of Khadi fabric has nearly doubled after the Government of Kerala campaign in 2007-08 to promote khadi. “The overall sales have shot up from 54 crores in 2007 to 120 crores by 2015. Around 50 per cent of the  sale of Khadi fabric happens during Onam,” says Suresh Babu, Director, Marketing, Kerala Khadi and Village Industries Board.

Apart from Khadi fabric, other Village Industries products include wooden and metal handicrafts, soap, footwear, bags and food items like pickles, snacks, oil and honey are also in demand these days. There are about 200 Khadi board outlets across Kerala today and these products are gaining wider acceptance.