October 25, 2020 10:23:17 pm
Khadi Oaxaca is a farm-to-clothing collective comprising around 400 families, living and working on traditional farms and farms in southern Mexico. (Source: khadioaxaca.com)
In his Mann ki Baat speech on Sunday (October 25), Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked people to speak on behalf of the local while shopping during festival season, and in particular extolled the virtues of khadi, the woven fabric. by hand popularized by Mahatma Gandhi.
Modi made a reference to the Oaxaca region (pronounced O-aa-ha-ka) in Mexico, where he said khadi was being made, and narrated an anecdote about how khadi came to the Latin American country after a local resident was influenced for a movie about Mahatma Gandhi.
“When you go shopping during these festivals, remember that we have to prioritize local products. … Today, when we talk about local, the world is also becoming a fan of our products. Many of our local products have the potential to go global. Today, khadi is considered an eco-friendly fabric and a fashion statement, ”Modi said.
“Not only is the popularity of khadi increasing, it is also being produced in many parts of the world. There is a place in Mexico called Oaxaca, there are many villages in this area where local villagers weave khadi. Today, the khadi of this place has gained popularity with the name of Oaxaca khaadi “.
What is the Khadi Oaxaca de México?
Khadi Oaxaca is a farm-to-clothing collective comprising around 400 families, living and working on traditional farms and farms in the Oaxaca region of southern Mexico.
It has been founded by Mark “Marcos” Brown, an American living in Mexico, and his wife, Kalindi Attar.
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On its website, the project says that it uses cotton produced and grown on the coast of Oaxaca, and produces chemical-free clothing, based on locally grown vegetable dyes.
Before starting the project, Brown lived in India for 12 years and was heavily influenced by Gandhi. For two years (1986-88), he lived at the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat, where he learned about khadi.
Brown began to wear clothes that he had knitted and, in the 1990s, he brought a Charkha (spinning wheel) to Oaxaca in Mexico. Here in the town of San Sebastián Río Hondo, he began teaching spinning to local families and eventually founded Khadi Oaxaca in 2010.
“Following the wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi, our philosophy goes beyond the fabric itself. The Khadi movement promoted self-employment and self-reliance of rural communities in India, reducing their dependence on the textile industry in Great Britain, ”says the Khadi Oaxaca website.
“Creating a yarn standard provides significant additional income and unlimited employment potential. Local carpenters reproduce the honorable spinning wheel brought from India; the symbol of dharma in motion, ”he adds.
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