Satyagraha from April 5 to revive khadi industry

A team led by theatre person Prasanna has geared up to revive the khadi and handloom industry at Badanavalu village, Nanjangud taluk, Mysuru district.

The team of activists who held a meeting at Deenabandhu Trust, Chamarajanagar on Friday, resolved to set up an institute at Badanavalu, along the lines of ‘Charaka’ institute at Heggodu, in Shivamogga district.

During the meeting, it was also decided to launch a nationwide campaign (Sathyagraha) to revive the handloom and khadi industry at Badanavalu on April 5.

Prior to the Satyagraha, a padayatra will be taken out from either Mysuru or Chamarajanagar on April 1 or 2. Discussions regarding steps to popularise khadi products by increasing public participation were also taken up during the preliminary meeting.

Prasanna alleged that the numbers of people who are using powerlooms had increased significantly. “However, these persons register themselves as handloom operators to receive benefits from the government,” he said.

Development of such artisans could be ensured if the weavers unite and market their produce. However, some vested interests had divided the community, hindering their progress.

Awareness about these problems will be raised during the padayatra, he said.
Honorary Secretary of Deenabandu Trust, G S Jayadeva said that such a movement was essential to improve the life of handloom workers.

The movement will be a success, if people can identify themselves with khadi and work towards popularising it, he said.

No suicides
Prasanna said that even though there were incidents of powerloom weavers committing suicide, not a single handloom weaver had resorted to the same. Powerloom weavers have faced several problems during the past decade, he said.

He said that there was a notion that only Padmasali and Devanga communities were involved in weaving, which was far from the truth.

Weaving has not been restricted to particular communities, as people from all communities practice the same, he said.

He said that even though there was immense demand for khadi products in India, there was not enough supply to fulfill the same.
DH News Service