Khadi

Summary

Khadi is a hand-spun and hand-woven fabric from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan mainly made out of cotton. This is an artisanal heritage handloom textile,made entirely in hand crafted processes—from spinning the threads on a charkha (spinning wheel) to weaving on handloom.

The cloth is usually woven from cotton and may also include silk, or wool. Khadi is sometimes treated with starch to give it a stiffer texture.

Bengal weavers have been practicing this craft of weaving very fine count Khadi yarn of hand-spun cotton and silk for centuries. Mahatma Gandhi was a strong proponent of handicrafts, in particular the handloom Khadi. The technique and associated ideology was promoted by Gandhi to inspire self-reliance of the people, and support ancient skills and traditional crafts.