September 15: “Childhood is the most important period of one’s life.” –Gandhi (Speech at the second Gujarat Educational Conference, in Broach, 1917) Narayan Desai, though he was the son of Gandhi’s secretary, Mahadev, called Gandhi ‘bapu’ or father, while his own dad was his ‘kaka’ or uncle. As a little boy living in the ashram… read more
Tag Archives: khadi
“Proving our love”–Daily Metta
August 26: “Instead of talking high of love for the whole world, it is quite enough if we have the natural love that proves its existence by implementation.” –Gandhi (Day to Day with Gandhi, vol. 6, p. 123) Once Gandhi realized that khadi, spinning and weaving would help to uplift the classes made poor and… read more
“The POWER of Knowledge”–Daily Metta
August 3: “[In the Ashram] Everyone is encouraged to acquire full knowledge of his own subject.” –Gandhi (Ashram Observances in Action) While imprisoned in the Aga Khan Palace with Gandhi and Kasturba (Gandhi’s wife) Sushila Nayar remembers a conversation that revealed to her an insight about the mind of the Mahatma. She and her… read more
“The Power Behind the Khadi”–Daily Metta
May 28: “The only real and reliable guarantee for khadi would be honesty, truthfulness and sincerity of khadi workers.” –Gandhi (Mahatma, vol. 7, p. 20) The khadi–or home-spun cloth–campaign was a key constructive program for the Free India movement. It meant that if you were part of the struggle, you would not only wear the… read more
“The way to Gandhi’s heart”–Daily Metta
April 28 “Ahimsa is our supreme duty.” –Gandhi (Yeravda Mandir, p. 7) Ahimsa means respect of all of life, and as this can seem impossible, Gandhi would always connect the ideal with a practical suggestion. For example: “Look at the flowers–which belong to all of life–that surround the ashram. Why would picking them as an offering… read more
Charkha
The charkha, or spinning wheel, was the physical embodiment and symbol of Gandhi’s constructive program. It represents Swadeshi, self-sufficiency, and at the same time interdependence, because the wheel is at the center of a network of cotton growers, carders, weavers, distributors, and users. . It also embodied the dignity of labor, equality, unity, as all volunteers were… read more
