Colloquium paper

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WEAVING THROUGH TIMELESSNESS Craft Based Colloquium Paper By Leena Jain

Khaddar before Gandhi Before ‘Khaddar’ became the Khadi we know of today, it had an identity of common cloth, but with varied qualities. Known to be the nebula for Romans, the hand-woven textile was often exported from India before colonization. Soon, the British levied taxes on farming, export and weaving, leaving the production of Khadi on a standstill and introducing cheaply made British clothing as one of a ‘higher’ taste. India, an exporter of fine fabric, became an importer of the same. Gandhi’s intervention Gandhi had been a socially awkward young man and always wanted to blend in. While studying in the UK, he did adorn perfect English gentleman clothing and also burdened his family with the European way of living after returning back to the country. Only his encounters in South Africa, led him to see the life of discriminated Indians, making him question reality of colonial power. He tried living through self-reliance. On his return to India, he travelled the length and breadth of the country to seek the truth of how people had been living. There was poverty and hunger – because of a lot of factors including industrialization brought in by colonial rule, leaving many crafts, techniques and practices obsolete. ‘Khadi’ had become a foreign concept and then Gandhi sought to weave everyone through it – making it a mark of being ‘Indian’ – like a uniform of sorts which went beyond traditional marks of faith, caste and community. Starting with a cap – the sola cap transformed into a ‘bhartiya’ shape (Tarlo, 1996). The cap was light and airy – and bound everyone in together as everyone needed a cap at all times.


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