Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that spinning on charkha is nothing short of worship. He participated in Khadi Utsav at the Sabarmati River Front, Ahmedabad on Saturday. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Member of Parliament, C R Patil, State Minister, Harsh Sanghvi and Jagdish Panchal, Mayor of Ahmedabad, Kiritbhai Parmar and Chairman of KVIC, Manoj Kumar were those present on the occasion.
He said, “The bank of Sabarmati has become blessed today as on the occasion of 75 years of independence, 7,500 sisters and daughters have created history by spinning yarn on a spinning wheel together.”
“History bears witness that a thread of Khadi became the force of freedom movement, it broke the chains of slavery.” He further added that the same thread of Khadi can become a source of inspiration to fulfil the promise of a developed India and thereby fulfilling the dream of a self-reliant India.
“A traditional strength like Khadi can take us to new heights”, he said. This Khadi Utsav is an effort to revive the spirit and history of the freedom movement and an inspiration to achieve the resolutions of New India, he added.
He recalled his Panch-Prans that he proclaimed on 15th August, from the Red Fort. “At this holy place, on the banks of Sabarmati, I want to repeat the Pancha-Pranas. First – the great goal in front of the country, the goal of making a developed India. Second – the complete abandonment of the slavery mentality. Third – taking pride in our heritage, Fourth- making strong efforts to increase the unity of the nation, and Fifth- civic duty.
He said that today’s Khadi Utsav is a beautiful reflection of the ‘Panch Prans’. He dwelled on the neglect of Khadi in the period after independence. “At the time of the freedom movement, Khadi, which Gandhiji made the symbol of the country’s self-respect, was infused with an inferiority complex after independence”.
Because of this, he deplored that Khadi and the village industry associated with Khadi were completely destroyed. This condition of Khadi was very painful, especially for Gujarat, he said. He expressed pride that the task of reviving Khadi took place on the land of Gujarat. The Prime Minister emphasised the pledge by the Government of ‘Khadi for Transformation’ to ‘Khadi for Nation, Khadi for Fashion’.
