'Chalo Charkho Ramiye' a movement to revive the Gandhian Philosophy of hand-spun fabric

Avani Varia of Aadhar had organized a Prayer meeting and a Chrakha spinning event called, ‘Chalo Charkho Ramiye’ at the Kochrab Ashram on the 2^nd of October. Ms. Varia has been running a charkha movement for the past 3 years and has been propagating the philosophy of Gandhi and the use of the charkha for the people.  She has been working with handicrafts for the past 18 years and is working on the revival of crafts that no one is working with. This contributes to different communities and connects the 2 ends.

She started the charkha movement from the ashram 3 years ago on the 2^nd of October, 2013. Since then regular charkha events are held every month where people can come and learn how to spin. Many times people are surprised to learn about thread and yarn and how it is produced. This exercise also plays a vital role in raising awareness about where our clothes come from.

As she puts it, spinning is a very therapeutic exercise, it is like mediation when you concentrate and forget about the world. It also makes us create something useful with our own hands which is extremely fulfilling for us modern people who are stuck to technology all the time.

The charkha movement has proven to be extremely popular with people taking up the practice of spinning on a regular basis. She has organized training sessions in Mumbai and Varanasi as well. She often organizes the events for schools and many times the students come back with their parents to learn more about it.

This proves that a good thought and its practice can go a long way indeed!

Photographs : Ravi Panchal