2 months ago
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With the ₹40 crore boost cleared by the Karnataka Cabinet, a radical of Gandhians has called for revitalising the historical Badanavalu Khadi Centre successful Nanjangud taluk into a exemplary of sustainable agrarian manufacture rooted successful Gandhian principles.
The proposal comes months aft the State Cabinet, during a gathering held astatine Malai Mahadeshwara Hills adjacent Mysuru successful April 2025, gave its motion for the financial assistance. The allocation follows a committedness made during Congress person Rahul Gandhi’s sojourn to the Khadi centre connected Gandhi Jayanti Day successful 2022 during his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Subsequently, the Karnataka Khadi Board sought a study from a radical of Gandhians connected the roadmap for the Badanavalu Khadi’s Centre’s revival. The study by Prasanna from Gram Seva Sangh, Jayadev from Deena Bandhu Ashram, Chamarajanagar, and Professor Shivraj from Gandhi Bhavan, Bengaluru — each are recipients of the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Seva Puraskar — was submitted to D.R. Patil, Chairperson of the Decentralization Committee of Government of Karnataka, during his sojourn to Badanavalu recently, successful the beingness of Nanjangud MLA Dhruvanarayan.
While making a enactment that the khadi centre is presently plagued by ‘poor management’ with spinning enactment halted owed to deficiency of earthy worldly and workers going unpaid for months, the study recalls however the Badanavalu Centre, established by section Gandhians connected the proposal of the Mahatma during the pre-independence period, was a ‘beacon of light’ for the full region. The centre not lone produced khadi that was exported to England, but had besides diversified into colony industries, similar cold-pressed oil, hand-made paper, candles, match-boxes, and different earthy products.
While arguing for reintroduction of the colony manufacture products to amended profitability, the Gandhians said the diversification into non-khadi products should instrumentality spot gradually successful a phased manner.
Rain-shadow zone
The portion surrounding Badanavalu, dissimilar irrigated areas elsewhere, falls nether a rain-shadow zone, wherever agriculture unsocial cannot prolong livelihood owed to erratic rainfall and groundwater depletion, starring to migration towards cities.
Hence, the colony industries, peculiarly khadi and related activities, should supplement cultivation income and stabilise the agrarian economy, the study stated, portion emphasising the complementary relation of cottage industries to marque Badanavalu relevant.
As Gandhian principles besides question to prosecute an underutilised workforce, peculiarly women and aged much than the able-bodied males for labour, the khadi and colony manufacture exemplary helps impact women successful productivity and economical enactment adjacent portion they enactment adjacent to home.
The study stresses that the practice worth of the centre, whose ‘beauty and dignity lies successful its utter simplicity and naturalness’, indispensable beryllium preserved.
Another important displacement recommended successful the study is the positioning of khadi arsenic a ‘premium, authentic and sustainable product’ alternatively than competing with inexpensive imitations. “Proudly state Badanavalu Khadi arsenic a axenic product,” the study recommends, pointing retired that the authenticity of manus spinning, manus weaving, fibre, integrated dyes each tin beryllium ‘brand values’, and radical are present consenting to wage much for purity.
“During our survey of the centre, we realised 3 things,” the Gandhians stated. They pointed retired that prime of the merchandise needs betterment portion the merchandise plan excessively needs attention, but felt that the biggest spread lies successful selling and marque building.
Cluster approach
A large proposal is to follow a clump improvement approach, linking Badanavalu with adjacent weaving and spinning centres, specified arsenic Tagadur and different accumulation villages. “The combined practice worth should past beryllium built into the khadi product, and projected arsenic marque value,” the study stated.
Instead of fragmented operations, a coordinated clump would let shared infrastructure, training, selling support, and absorption expertise, the Gandhians felt.
The study calls for making usage of the Gandhi Bhavans successful each the districts, that are lying unused, to either acceptable up accumulation oregon income counters for khadi and colony manufacture products.
