Today is Gandhi's birth anniversary- the 147th. Known as "Mahatma" or "The Great Soul", he is a national hero & leader for India like no other. His life, his writings and above all, his actions stood for certain principles that are timeless and valuable to all of us across the world:
Holding onto Truth [satyagraha] & non-violence.
Equality, simplicity & compassion
Village craft & dignity of labor
Building character through communal life & work.
It is at the meeting point of village craft, communal life, simplicity & work that one finds "khadi" which means handspun or handwoven. Celebrating self-reliance, Gandhi urged men and women to take to the spinning wheel and weave for themselves at least 25 meters of yarn every year. And that element of handwoven yarn has become integrated into the very fabric of rural industry, village craft and clothing in India. Mainly related to handwoven cotton, the art of the Gandhian weave also relates to handwoven silk and wool as well. Mixed with creativity, today, handwoven fabrics of India are unique when it comes to the use of handspun yarn, ethnic design, colors & texture and add that exotic touch to a woman's beauty or the decor of our living space around the world.
The spinning wheel and the art of handspun yarn have captured the imagination of many across the world and has been a medium for connecting people from varied cultures with Gandhi's "Charkha" or the spinning wheel and India's handspun cottons. Here's a short video of Cynthia Koenig, the Founder of Wello, at the spinning wheel at Gandhi's Ashram in Ahmedabad:
Artikrti, as a brand that celebrates India's handmade ethnic chic in fashion and decor, would like to pay homage to the
Mahatma, a man's whose principles have been embraced by cultures across the world, a soul who connects the world with truths that are apt for our lives, today and in the future.
"A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes."- Gandhi
Video Courtesy: Dara Hogan, YouTube
