THINK of the word khadi, and the image of our kurta-pajama donned politicians, the jhola carrying socialites, grey-haired intellectuals and the coffee house habitues comes to mind. Sadly, even more than fifty years after Independence, khadi has no context in which to exist. Before Independence, khadi did not only have a context but also symbolised many things. Freedom was one of them. It was not only used as an effective tool in the Swadeshi Movement, but it also provided employment and, consequently, made the people self-reliant. It is heartening to note that despite the death-knell being rung for khadi, one organisation has been fighting for its cause since its inception in 1951. Over the years, Sarvodaya Ashram has succeeded in institutionalising khadi and fitting it effectively in the new social paradigm. =

The ashram was inaugurated by none other than Bhoodan Movement’s pioneer Vinoba Bhave. But with socio-economic changes, the significance of khadi petered away. Sarvodaya Ashram realised that khadi could be promoted only by breaking old stereotypes like, for instance, its association with politicians. Rather than hark back to the glorious days of yore, it had to evolve with the modern times. Manoj Chaturvedi, the dynamic Chairman of Sarvodaya Ashram, kept all this in mind when the baton passed to him after his father’s death in 1981. Keeping the principles of the khadi movement in view, he incorporated new ideas and innovations in khadi. Modern designs were encouraged and new fashion trends kept up with. Khadi began to cater to the fashionable new generation.

Little wonder that Sarvodaya Ashram is today the biggest private enterprise which promotes khadi not only in India but abroad as well. The goal of the ashram is to make khadi relevant in the contemporary fashion world. The ashram plans to organise fashion shows to spread awareness about its products.

"There is a need to re-educate the people about khadi. Khadi is very relevant to our times. It is an eco-friendly, non-synthetic, healthy fabric that makes good dressing sense," says Chaturvedi. He says that the yarn produced by the charkha (spinning wheel) is much finer than that produced by any machine. Chaturvedi firmly believes that there is a very big market for traditional products in India and abroad. According to him, the customer is gradually moving away from MNC products and adopting natural products like khadi.

Another challenge facing Sarvodaya Ashram is the cut-throat competition in the ever-growing consumer market. The ashram seeks to compete without compromising on the principles of the khadi movement. A model of such a dream was set up in a bustling retail market in Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi, two years ago. Sarvodaya Ashram opened a designer khadi showroom, Khadi Gramodyog Bhawan, in the Capital to cater to the metropolitan buyers. It is hard at first glance to make out that all clothes in the showroom are khadi. From shorts to t-shirts everything that one might see at a fancy garment store are available here. The showroom is one of its kind in India what with its wide array of designer khadi clothes. It is a pleasant mix of the traditional and the modern. The aura of the showroom is such that one feels one is at a trendy shopping mall and an exotic village chaupal at the same time. Little wonder the showroom has become a favourite shopping haunt of the young and the old. With the success of this showroom, Chaturvedi plans to open some more outlets in the country.

The idea is to make khadi accessible once again. Though khadi is pitted against the modern and more popular synthetic clothes, Chaturvedi believes that khadi has an enormous potential as it is the garment of the future. According to him, the special features of khadi make it so. It’s fully herbal, non-toxic, non-synthetic, only natural colours are added to it and at no stage is there any testing on animals. Khadi is a fabric that breathes and makes for a healthy wear, adds Chaturvedi.

Before taking charge of the ashram, Chaturvedi was ironically involved in the marketing of filament and nylon yarn for the Ford foundation for which he worked for several years. "When I came to India I thought why couldn’t I apply similar marketing skills to the promotion of khadi," says Chaturvedi. His wife Neera supervises the designs of the clothes along with professional designers from the National Institute of Design (NID).

The clothes are exported to various countries, keeping in mind the fashion and dressing style of the country concerned. For instance, the Gulf countries are supplied with khadi burkas and durjashasas (headgear for Arab men).

This flexible as well as daring approach to experiment and innovate has given khadi a new lease of life. More importantly, it has endeared itself to the young generation. Encouraged by the response, Sarvodaya Ashram has now entered the herbal market. Its products, which come under the brand name SAVI, were launched a few months ago. They include a wide array of shampoos, hair oil and creams.

Photos: Subhash Bhardwaj