After Rahul Gandhi’s visit, will Badanavalu Khadi Centre see brighter days?

Workers pin hopes on Rahul Gandhi’s promise to shore up the khadi unit

Published - October 02, 2022 05:39 pm IST - BADANAVALU (MYSURU DISTRICT)

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah at Khadi Gramodyoga Kendra at Badanavalu village — which Mahatma Gandhi visited in 1927 — during  Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah at Khadi Gramodyoga Kendra at Badanavalu village — which Mahatma Gandhi visited in 1927 — during Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s promise to revive the nearly century-old Khadi spinning centre at Badanavalu has shored up hopes among the women workers of the unit, which is teetering on the brink of closure since the last few years.

Mr. Gandhi who has embarked on Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, visited the village which is about 35 km from Mysuru to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti on Sunday. He went around the khadi centre which was established decades before Independence and was given a demonstration of the spinning and weaving. He also interacted with women workers employed by the khadi unit and apprised himself of their problems.  

Puttamadamma of Badanavalu who has been engaged in spinning cotton for over 50 years was among those who interacted with Rahul Gandhi. She later told The Hindu that as a child she had seen Mahatma Gandhi and took to spinning cotton at a time when the payment was 10 paisa for spinning one meter of cotton. “Today, it is about 25 rupees and one can at the most earn ₹100 per day which is insufficient,” said Puttamadamma.

Similar views were expressed by Nagaratna and Jyothi who work in the unit. “Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah sir asked us to be patient for another 5 to 6 months after which they promised to revive the unit and resolve our problem,” said Ms. Nagaratna.

Though many leaders in the past had promised to revive the khadi unit at Badanavalu, it has not materialised till date. However, the women workers said they see a sliver of hope following Rahul Gandhi’s visit.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visits Khadi Gramodyog on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary in Badanavalu on Oct. 2, 2022.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visits Khadi Gramodyog on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary in Badanavalu on Oct. 2, 2022. | Photo Credit: PTI

The selection of Badanavalu and the Khadi centre as one of the stops for Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti is not without significance.

For it was here that freedom fighter Tagadur Ramachandra Rao – inspired by the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi – established the khadi centre as a way for economic emancipation of the local people. Badanavalu was also visited by Mahatma Gandhi during his tour of the Mysuru region, once in 1927 and again in 1932.  

The spinning and weaving centre  — which is a unit of Khadi and Gram Udyoga Sahakara Sangha with its headquarters at Holenarsipura in Hassan district — has had a steady decline in fortunes owing to supply-demand issues over the last few years. Besides, low wages would not attract new labour and indifferent demand has led to production loss adding to woes of the unit even as the pandemic crippled it further. Despite reopening, a majority of the nearly 60 women employed at the unit are without work and, therefore, without income.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.