Khadi and Its Socio Economic Implications with Special Reference to the District of Murshidabad 1956 1996

Abstract

Khadi and its Socio-Economic Implications with Special Reference to the District of newlineMurshidabad (1956-1996). newline Khadi means any cloth woven on handloom from cotton, silk or woolen handspun newlineyarn or from combination of any two or all of such yarn. Production activities of Khadi are newlinecarried out mainly in rural areas. Although hand spun yarn was used during the ancient and newlinemedieval period in the history of India; it is well known that it became important politically newlineduring the colonial period. Khadi was produced during the pre-independence period under the newlineleadership of Gandhi to awaken the common people against the British rule. Gandhi needed an newlineeffective emblem and he chose Khadi for this purpose. He also used this emblem for poverty newlinealleviation. newlineGandhi, the Father of the Nation conceived Khadi as the best instrument for giving a newlineconcreate expression to the swadeshi spirit for making effective the boycott of foreign goods newlinein general and foreign cloth in particular. Khadi was also expected to provide an opportunity newlineto every man, women and child for cultivating self -discipline and sacrifice as a part of the non newlinecooperation movement. In the year 1917, Ganga Behan Majumder found Charkha at Bijapur newlinein Baroda State. Ganga Behan Majumder met Gandhi at the Broch Education Conference in newline1917. Ganga Behan was inspired by Gandhi and started working on spinning wheel. The newlineNagpur session of the Indian National Congress was held in the year of 1920. Khadi was chosen newlineas a political weapon to achieve swaraj. Gandhi wanted higher rate of wages for the artisans so newlinethat all Indians would be encouraged to join the Khadi work. In 1921, the Khadi cloth and newlinespinning wheel became the most important items in the Congress programme. In the year 1922 newlineKhadi campaign was started by provincial and subordinate Congress Committees. The All newlineIndia Khadi Board was set up in December,1923. Encouraged by Gandhi the All India Spinners newlineAssociation (henceforth, AISA) was founded in 1925. The Association hoped that spinning newlinewheel