“Khadi has been conceived as the foundation and the image of ahimsa.  A real khadi wearer will not utter an untruth. A real khadi wearer will harbour no violence, no deceit, no impurity.” ~ Gandhi, in Mahatma Vol. 4, pg. 217, courtesy of Mumbai Sarvodaya Mandal

Gandhi was a genius at using simple ideas, household items everyone could relate to and turning them into a focus for human, social, and political transformation. In the case of Khadi: the traditional homespun cloth became the core of a campaign by which he was breaking the dependency on British cloth and rebuilding India’s own home industries. A brilliant stroke in which everyone could participate—men, women, and children—and thereby building the movement dramatically.

What would be the equivalent of khadi, or homespun cotton, in our context today: something simple, direct, universal, and symbolic? Something that could unite the movement? Share your ideas in the comments below.

About Daily Metta

Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s executive director, launched Daily Metta in 2015 as a way to share Gandhi’s spiritual wisdom and experiments with nonviolence.

Our 2016 Daily Metta continues with Gandhi on weekdays. On weekends, we share videos that complement Michael Nagler’s award-winning book, The Search for a Nonviolent Future: A Promise of Peace for Ourselves, Our Families, and Our World. To help readers engage with the book more deeply, the Metta Center offers a free PDF study guide.

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