Handpicked cotton balls are first deseeded before separating the fibre from them. Once this process is done using a fish jaw comb, the slivers collected will be converted into yarn on a spinning wheel. When Chandravathi and Sarojini of AFKK Sangham, Ponduru, demonstrated how the raw product transforms into yarn, visitors at the IFR Village curiously captured the entire process on their mobile phones.
The stall put up by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, as part of the IFR Village at Andhra University Engineering College Grounds, drew the attention of scores of visitors who assembled to watch the khadi spinners in action .
Part and parcel of our life
“Spinning yarn has become a part and parcel of our life ever since our childhood. We have grown in an environment where we have seen our grandparents involved in the same laborious exercise,” said Chandravathi, who appears to be adept at wielding the fish jaw to complete the task ahead. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the crafts exhibition as part of the IFR schedule, spent a few minutes witnessing the process of spinning along with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. “From just a traditional fabric that gained access to a few households, khadi has now become the most sought-after fashion garment among connoisseurs,” explained K. Brahmajee Rao, divisional director of the KVIC. The products here include denim jeans and denim jacket made of processed khadi, jackets, blazers, saris, and kurtas for children sourced from West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi, Ponduru, Visakhapatnam, and East Godavari.
