On National Handloom Day, a special program dedicated to khadi and Indian handicrafts was successfully organised at Pearl Academy, Delhi-West (Eros Building, District Centre, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi) on August 7. Manoj Kumar, Chairman, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India attended the event as the Chief Guest and gave the students the mantra of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ‘Khadi for Nation, Khadi for Fashion’ and called upon them to take khadi from local to the global stage. He opined that 11 years ago, the prime minister had taken a pledge to promote khadi. His resolution completely transformed khadi.
To fulfil the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’, everyone has to make collective efforts and make more efforts. Together, we must strive to make India the world’s third-largest economy. We have to make India completely poverty-free on the strength of ‘Make in India’. A capable India will write the success story of a self-reliant India. Now it is our turn to make a resolution. We will produce Swadeshi, we will sell Swadeshi, we will buy Swadeshi!
KVIC organised a live demonstration of 50 traditional and ‘Peti charkhas’ in this program. The students of fashion designing learned the intricacies of spinning yarn by operating the charkha. Also, a pottery workshop was organised using electric pottery wheels, in which the students learned to make traditional pottery. On this occasion, Pearl Academy President Aditi Srivastava, Regional Campus Director Ruchi Sharma, Faculty Professor Bela Gupta and many students were also present. Along with observing the exhibition of handloom and craft products made by the students, Manoj Kumar toured the entire campus and interacted with the students.
In his address, Manoj Kumar said, “Pujya Bapu had once mentioned that khadi isn’t just a cloth, but an idea. Decades after Independence, when khadi was slowly fading, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the ‘Khadi for Nation, Khadi for Fashion’ mantra in ‘Mann Ki Baat’. This mantra gave birth to the ‘Charkha Kranti’. Presently, khadi is not limited to Gandhi Cap or dhoti but has reached the fashion runway of the global stage.”
Listing the achievements of KVIC, he reiterated that the total production of Khadi and Village Industries in the financial year 2024-25 was Rs 1,16,599 crore and sales were Rs 1,70,551 crore, through which 1.94 crore people got employment. In the last 11 years, production in the Khadi and Village Industries sector has increased four times, sales five times and employment by 49 percent. This unprecedented progress is an example of economic and social change under the leadership of the prime minister.
Motivating the students of fashion design, he said that fashion isn’t just glamour, but also responsibility. When young designers include khadi in their designs, they will not just create trends but will strengthen the livelihood of the villages and artisans of the country and establish India’s identity across the world.
Aditi Shrivastava said, “This event, in collaboration with KVIC, is an invaluable experience for our students. The spinning of yarn on the ‘charkha’ and the pottery workshop have connected them to the deep handicraft tradition of India and inspired them to think towards sustainable fashion.”
This event has taken a historic initiative in integrating khadi and handloom with modern fashion and has given new energy to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of ‘Khadi for Fashion’ for the youth.