Avadhesh Kumar               Phone:  27018015

A-16, Pundrik Vihar, Pitampura, Delhi-110034

Socio-Economic – Ecological Facilitator on Self Reliance

Ex-Member: A.I.Khadi & Vill. Ind. Board (Govt. of India)

Ex-Member: Cent. Cert. Comm. KVIC (Govt. of India)

·       Anna Sudha Village Industries (KVIC approved)

·       PANI   :     People’s Action for National Integration, 1/13/190, Civil Lines, Faizabad, UP-224001

Ref: AK/khadi/84/2010-11/1454                           Dated 20^th May, 2010

To,

Shri Mariappanji,

Gandhi Museum,

Madurai-625020 (TN) through Email ID: advmariappan@gmail.com

Sub: Why Save Khadi  Campaign ?

Respected Shri Mariappanji,

Greetings from one of your such admirers, who is not known to your good-self, so please, excuse me for this indulgence of mine.   

It was the moment of great privilege for me, when I met you last month, during your visit to Delhi in connection with the ‘Khadi Samitee’ meeting held at GPF on 14/04/2010.

As a prelude to our consensus that emerged in the aforesaid meeting regarding the ‘Campaign to save Khadi’, I take this opportunity to seek your very kind permission to share with your goodself some of the moorings with regard to the same, titled Why Save Khadi  Campaign?, which is given here as under:-  

The knowledge that ‘Khadi is an Idea…’ is only a mantra as a sutra, which remains only on our tongue, the intrinsic merit and value of the knowledge is meaningful only when one is able to act up to it.

There has to be a synergy between the academics of Khadi and its execution and monitoring system. To find to create ‘synergy’ between the academics of Khadi i.e. mantra and tantra i.e. its functionaries, both at the institutional as well as at the monitoring level, the work force of the Khadi sector need to be not only educated at all the fronts but also continued to be oriented and or refreshed, to be able to equip themselves to address the emerging new and newer challenges in this fast paced world, to be able to infuse appropriate inspirational culture. It will also help promote better coordination between the two wings.

In today’s scenario it is not only imperative but challenging too and hence no better competent and credible aegis could be than that of Sarva Sewa Sangh, to take up this challenge, as being successor institution of ‘Charkha Sangh’ founded by none other than Gandhiji himself. Let us not forget that Gandhi & Khadi are synonymous to each other. While Gandhiji always laid stress on observing his birth day as ‘Charkha Jayanti’ and this tradition continued even after his death, till the KVIC stepped in to change it to a new nomenclature of ‘Gandhi Jayanti’ and this perhaps was the beginning of putting the wheel of Charkha in the reverse gear, though unwittingly.

Though we are in this fast paced world, yet relatively speaking with reference to our own surroundings, we are in the same place. It is the relationship between the seer, the one who sees, and the seen, which determine relativity. This duality between the seer and seen is the root cause, leading to the distortion of the merits of Khadi.

When same things are put differently, they are apt to appear differently. At the level of consciousness, every person sees things from his own perspective and ordinarily a government employee is not supposed to have the insight of a constructive social worker i.e. that of a Khadi worker. That is why it has given rise to agony and suffering in the present situation. In its early days, as the KVIC functionaries were drawn from Khadi world itself, they had the ability to penetrate the veil of relativity and hence Khadi sector was content, peaceful and homogenous.Uprooted, life loses meaning as values disappear. That is how the present melee has seeped in and hence the need to ‘Save Khadi’.

A great darkness has descended. There is no sense of direction left. There seems to be neither purpose nor significance in Khadi’s life. It is reduced to a mere term, without any existence of its own. We have started talking of PPP and of Corporatisation. Is it not shameful?  Is it not sinful and a slur on Khadi which is intrinsic to the very values associated with the sanctity of the name and fame  of Mahatma Gandhi, who led the  nation to Freedom and as such Khadi is hailed as ‘Livery of Freedom’?

Khadi undoubtedly is passing through chaotic times. It has progressively been alienated from the concept of Human Growth. Khadi is set to get drowned in its own ocean of borrowed science. Ordinarily people, the majority, live in unconsciousness; so they can’t see even a few steps ahead.  Khadi  world is no exception to this. The need is, therefore, to create a great momentum of awakening to ‘Save Khadi’, for ‘Inward Journey of Khadi’, for ‘Atma Bodh’ of Khadijan, to rekindle the lamp of Love, Compassion and Truth, through the Wheel of Charkha, to enable Humanity to be born anew. There is no option left. Once you miss, you miss forever. May be a few are able to achieve something, but the greater part will be lost or else will be destined to live in hell.

Let us remember once again, Khadi aims to bring a synthesis of Science and Spirituality, of Intellect and Intution, of male and female mind, the concept of ‘Ardhnaarishwar’, of the Head and Heart, to create Peace and Harmony in the society, more so because it is only that harmony can save and bring new life. Hence, the need to ‘Save Khadi’, ‘Save the Wheel of Charkha’ i.e. existence of not only the poor and neglected lot but the humanity as whole, nay the vey planet called ‘Earth’ itself, which is fast running out of time. Khadi needs to be reminded of its hidden power and role in shaping the society’s mind-set.

Friends inside their fence need to develop the power to see things as a free, undistorted intelligence would see them. Khadi is the epitome of celebratory union of public life and spiritual affirmation, an article of everyday faith to one who truly believes in Gandhian values, as reflected through our daily prayer, both in the morning s well as in the evening. How can it be reduced and trapped or caged behind the four-walls of an Industrial and or Corporate House? Beside, how is it going to reconcile with the Constitutional leverage that devolves upon the PRIs, in relation to deal with Khadi as one of their listed subjects, and thereby invariable and inherently empowers every villager, resident of the village, as a member of the Gram Sabha to be conscious about the working of Khadi activities and if need be to seek intervention in the matter, actively? What about those who feel embedded to it? All this shows that the mind has not only slipped away from Khadi, faster than we have realized its departure or perhaps we are still in the process of realizing the same, but is also getting inclined to be untamed. Is it not an alarming situation? Then, why not join hands to bring back Khadi to its sentient bedrock?

Please convey my respectful regards to respected Natrajanji.

Thanking you and with deep regards,

Yours sincerely  

(Avadhesh Kumar)

Email: akumaragl@yahoo.com Website: http://khad4u.tripod.com