Khādī

"Khādī" (IAST) or "khaddar" (Devnagri: खादी or खद्दर Nastaliq: کھڈی کھدر) simply means cotton, usually handspun.

"Khādī" is Indian handspun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called a charkha.

"Khādī" is a versatile fabric, cool in summers and warm in winters. Being a cruder form of material, it crumples much faster than other preparations of cotton. In order to improve the look, "khādī" is often starched to have a stiffer shape. It is widely accepted in fashion circles these days.

Mahatma Gandhi began promoting the spinning of "khādī" for rural self-employment in 1920s India. He also wanted to spread the message of not using foreign clothes. The freedom struggle revolved around the use of khādī fabrics and the dumping of foreign-made clothes. Thus it symbolized the political ideas and independence itself, and to this day most politicians in India are seen only in "khādī" clothing. The flag of India is only allowed to be made from this material, although in practice many flag manufacturers, especially those outside of India, ignore this rule.

"Khādī" was used, and dyed random colors, in some of the costumes for the Star Wars prequels, such as Mace Windu's (Samuel L. Jackson) attire.

See also

* Khādī Development and Village Industries Commission
* Khadi Shankarappa freedom fighter in Karnataka

External links

* [http://www.kamat.com/indica/culture/eco-friendly/khadi.htm India's Khādī Culture]