Image: Gandhi at the spinning wheel, historical photograph.
The spinning wheel and khadi became closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian freedom movement. Gandhi promoted hand-spun cloth as part of a wider programme of economic and social self-reliance.
Why Gandhi promoted khadi
Gandhi believed village industries could provide work and encourage Indians to rely more on locally produced goods rather than imported textiles.
The spinning wheel as a symbol
The charkha became a visible symbol of participation in the freedom movement. Gandhi encouraged people to spin and wear khadi as part of everyday life.
Economic and social goals
Khadi was connected to Gandhi’s ideas about rural employment, dignity of labour and decentralised production.
Khadi and political mobilisation
Wearing khadi became associated with nationalist politics, while the boycott of foreign cloth formed part of wider campaigns against colonial economic structures.
Khadi after independence
Khadi continued as an important part of India’s handloom and village-industry tradition and remains associated with Gandhi’s economic ideas.
Read NewsNationOnline’s Gandhi philosophy feature and explore the Gandhi Heritage Portal.
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