Independence Day 2018: As Modi govt boosts Indian handloom, Khadi sees new avenues

On the occasion of 72nd Independence Day, Khadi and Village Industries Commission, for the first time, is organising Khadi exhibitions in as many as 10 Indian High Commissions/Embassies.

From the coarse, plain cloth that was eons ago a statement of patriotism and later a must-have for netas, to now designers' raw material for runway apparels, khadi has come a long way.

Khadi's journey from its eventful birth as the fabric favoured by revolutionaries to designer boutiques has been an exciting one. On this Independence Day, we chart out how it has evolved and gone from a common man's fabric to niche closets.

Khadi's latest avatar is in bright colours and gossamer fine. While designers sing hosannas about the versatility of the fabric, wearers swear by its practicality and comfort.

It is not only the perfect answer to India's hot and humid summers but also provides adequate protection against winter chill. Leading designers and upmarket clothes brands like Raymonds and Anokhi have given a modern and contemporary look to the traditional handspun fabric.

With stylish cuts and innovative colours, khadi has now come to define the trendy ethnic look. Its appeal to fashion sensibilities apart, khadi’s role in helping impoverished farmers is another aspect in the story of the traditional Indian fabric.

“The hand-spun and hand-woven natural fabric (better known as Khadi) is associated with India from the time immemorial, i.e. right from the evolution of civilization here," said VK Saxena, chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

"During the pre-Independence time, the movement of Khadi manufacturing gained momentum under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi -aimed to discourage the Indians from wearing of foreign fabrics. After independence, Khadi was reduced to a formal uniform for the political class, and along with its wearers, Khadi, too, lost its symbolic force,” he added.

In Gandhi’s days, Khadi was a weapon of the Swadeshi, against the imported cloth. Gandhi promoted Khadi because the hand-spun cotton cloth was at the centre of his vision for India’s self-reliant economy.

In the interiors of the country, where there are no job opportunities other than the rain-dependent agriculture, Khadi-spinning and similar economic activities can give people a means of livelihood. In the past 4 years, for instance, employment at KVIC has gone up by at least 25 percent taking the total employee count to about 15 lakhs at present.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also in the past given a clarion call of making this signature fabric a mode to attain economic transformation in the nation.

“What else can be a better medium to showcase ‘nationalism’? A major boost to this sector will have a huge trickle-down effect directly benefiting millions of weavers engaged in making it. It makes economic sense to consume locally made products be it food, clothes or any other consumer items. And, that is the area – on which our PM is focused upon – to have ‘economic sustenance with a great sense of nationalism’,” Saxena added.

Makeover

When noted fashion designer Ritu Beri was appointed the advisor of KVIC in 2016, many well-known designers started associating themselves with India's signature fabric.

“When the government decided to give a push to this sector, we started looking for its multi-dimensional growth. Khadi Fashion shows were held here in New Delhi at Australian as well as Indonesian Embassies, in which leading Indian designers displayed their Khadi collections,” added Saxena.

The makeover has not just been restricted to the urban areas. Last year, the tribal women of Omkareshwar in Narmada village were seen confidently walking the ramp in Khadi. Interestingly, in 2017, KVIC had given 45 charkhas to tribal women at Omkareshwar to start Khadi activities in Madhya Pradesh.

Product Basket

Known for selling desi khaddar, Khadi is now about being organic. It is hand-spun and hand-woven natural fabric and the only fabric that has zero-carbon footprint.

But that certainly does not make it boring. There's never dearth of varieties such as 100 to 500-count muslin, printed cotton fabric, cotton boutique fabric, denim, check fabric, topestry, thick coarse cotton — alias khaddar — delicate dupian silk, matka, moonga and katiya silk, tasar and polywool.

Business Growth

From Independence in 1947 to 2014, the growth rate in this sector remained in single digits with the highest pace recorded at 8 percent in the span of 65-odd years.

But the recent push for Khadi from the Prime Minister Modi has increased its demand in multiples. He first appealed the masses to adopt Khadi with the catch-line ‘Khadi for Fashion’, which multiplied its craze among youth. And, then he talked about ‘Khadi for Economic Transformation’ – which paved the way to make rocketing growth for Khadi.

In FY17-18, the sale of Khadi grew 25 percent to Rs 2,509 crore compared to Rs 2,007 crore in FY16-17. As it turns out, the total average Khadi sales, which was Rs 914.07 crore during the year 2004 to 2014, jumped to Rs 1,828.30 crore in three years after that, i.e. between 2015 and 2018, with over 100 percent increase.

Similarly, as many as 375 new Khadi institutions were established after 2015, whereas the number of new Khadi institutions established in 10 years’ period between 2004 and 2014 was only 110. Interestingly, average export of Khadi and village industries products was mere Rs 87.77 crores in the 10 years’ span between 2004 and 2014.

From 2015 to February 2018, average export of Khadi and village industries products went to Rs 2,014.75 crore with a huge growth of 133.28 percent.

Corporate Tie-ups

To increase the sales, the KVIC has adopted many innovative schemes such as conversion with textile majors like Raymonds, Aditya Birla Fashion Retail, Arvind Mills, etc., agreement with large retail houses such as Globus, Big Bazaar, Cotton Bazaar, etc. for establishing Khadi Korners within their showrooms in malls, launching franchisee schemes, launching of gift coupons, etc.

Way Ahead

“We are planning to make Khadi a global fabric and for that we are leaving no stone unturned. For the first time, in recent times, Khadi has started appearing on the global platform,” added Saxena.

KVIC has already dispatched the first lot of Khadi products to places like Bahrain, Tehran, London, Singapore, Jordan, Perth, Ottawa, Portugal, Jeddah and Rome.

Alongside, the regular promotions in the country, on October 2 this year, Khadi exhibitions would be organized in as many as 50 countries.