Villages near border revive khadi weaving tradition

JAISALMER: It's a bid to revive a disappearing traditional handicraft and boost the idea of a nation at the point where it begins. Barely kilometres away from the international border, separating India and Pakistan, four villages of traditional weavers are preparing ground to spin a tale of patriotism in khadi with new age charkhas.

Among them is the long-forgotten weaving centre in this far flung village of Jhinjhinyali. On Thursday, the village received a fresh lease of life as men and women gathered to revive a tradition that was on the verge of being lost. "We will revive the entire centre in two months. Training in these new model charkhas (NMCs) will start in about a week. The project will enable the population here to sustain along the border area and not abandon their village and head to the city to eke out a living," said Vinai Kumar Saxena, chairman, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

The KVIC has identified four villages along the border, including Jhinjhinyali and Randha, to revive the tradition of khadi handlooms. Similar projects at Sewapuri Khadi Ashram at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Pampore in Kashmir have met with success.

During his two-day visit to this desert village, Saxena distributed about 30 NMCs among people in a bid to groom these places into centres for excellence in two months.

"We will distribute NMCs and looms to people traditional spinners and repair dilapidated buildings for women to assemble and weave khadi. Working from home may often make them weary. But if they come to the centre, they will be more productive with these modern machines," he said.