India’s biggest and busiest airport will now have something new to boast about — the world’s biggest charkha.
The larger-than-life charkha is 27-foot wide and 15-foot tall. The four-tonne teakwood charkha has been installed by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here.
Airport’s private operator Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) has statutory right on Terminal 3 for allotment of land and space in and around the terminal.
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“The charka is a symbol of India’s Independence and non-violence. We felt the world’s largest charkha should come up at the Delhi airport, which is visited by lakhs of people every day…people should know what a charkha is,” KVIC chairman V.K. Saxena told
“Gandhiji made the charkha a weapon for India’s Independent and it is very important for India. It is also a symbol of India’s rural prosperity. Lakhs of people are running the charkha in the remotest corners of the country,” Mr. Saxena added.
The charkha was built in Ahmedabad by 42 carpenters, who took over 50 days to complete the work. It was brought to the airport in trucks.
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“It is made of pure teakwood, which is very costly,” he said. The charkha also commemorates the centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi’s arrival from South Africa.
Mr. Saxena said the display of the world’s biggest charkha at the Capital’s “busiest airport” will also inculcate the feeling of swadeshi among both domestic and international travellers. In a meeting held on January 13 between Mr. Saxena and DIAL CEO I. Prabhakar Rao, DIAL agreed to allot space for putting up the charkha at the departure forecourt between gates number 4 and 5.