Karnataka: Professor's family spins lifestyle around khadi

CHITRADURGA: Former professor HKS Swamy along with his two daughters, Rachana and Prerana, have dedicated their lives to promote khadi making in many villages here and in urban areas too.
Prof Swamy, who visited Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat in 2001 and stayed there, was inspired by Gandhian philosophy. He started preaching to the youth when he returned to Chitradurga. He had bought around 20 charakas from Sabarmati and obtained training on how to make cotton thread using the charaka.
While he was returning, he created awareness among passengers in the train, besides demonstrating using the charaka. Later, he started making towels, table cloth, clothes, saris and bedsheets using only cotton from cotton threads prepared using the charaka at home.
Swamy, a pharmacy professor, and his two daughters and his wife, Menaka, a lecturer, wear only cotton clothes. His daughters stitch their own clothes as per their need. Prof Swamy has trained Thippeswamy, a carpenter in Chitradurga, who can prepare a charaka at the cost of Rs 500.
Many people, including students, are purchasing charakas from him. Thippeswamy earns from this work and has thanked Prof Swamy for having given him a part-time job.
Prof Swamy has conducted more than a thousand awareness-cum- training programmes across the state for the last one decade. All the districts with the support of zilla panchayats and forest departments conduct awareness programmes for the elected GP, TP, ZP members on environment and Gandhian principles for a period of over two years. His programmes have been telecast on TV and radio.
He has visited several mutts and given training on the charakas, including slum children and economically backward people, particularly during Dasara festival and on Gandhi Jayanthi, said one of the beneficiaries Mahanthesh, a khadi producer-cum-shop owner.
Padmavathi, a tailoring shop owner, said she stitches clothes using cotton with the help of Prof Swamy and thereby earns more income. "There is a need to introduce charaka and prepare cotton threads using it in all schools. In this connection, the government should take initiative," Prof Swamy said. "Then, there is a possibility of augmenting cottage industries and then everybody will become self-reliant and unemployment could be solved," he said.