Image: Mahatma Gandhi using a spinning wheel, historical photograph. Wikimedia Commons.
Few images are as closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi as the spinning wheel, or charkha. Gandhi turned spinning and khadi into visible symbols of his broader programme of swadeshi, self-reliance and village-based economic activity.
Why Gandhi promoted khadi
Gandhi believed that hand-spun and hand-woven cloth could provide supplementary work in rural communities while encouraging Indians to reduce dependence on imported textiles.
The charkha as a political symbol
The spinning wheel appeared in nationalist campaigns because it connected everyday economic activity with the larger independence movement.
Khadi and the freedom movement
Wearing khadi became associated with nationalist participation. Volunteers promoted spinning, weaving and the boycott of foreign cloth during major phases of the movement.
More than clothing
Gandhi linked khadi with dignity of labour, simplicity and decentralised production. His approach was part of a wider critique of highly centralised economic systems.
The legacy of khadi
Khadi remained an important part of India’s public and cultural history after independence. Today it is also associated with India’s handloom and handicraft traditions.
Read NewsNationOnline’s Non-Cooperation Movement feature, Nai Talim feature and Gandhi’s philosophy feature.
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