Mysore/Mysuru: Mysuru Noolugarara Balaga, a collective of spinners, celebrated Gandhi Jayanti by engaging in cotton yarn spinning using portable charakhas. The event took place at the Wadiyar Centre for Architecture campus on Krishnaraja Boulevard in city on Oct. 2.

More than 40 participants actively spun cotton yarn as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, who championed the Charakha movement during his lifetime.

K. Sachchidananda of the Balaga explained that they regularly organise workshops to teach cotton yarn spinning using charakhas on Saturdays and Sundays. In honour of Gandhi Jayanti, they organised this mass yarn spinning programme to remember the principles and teachings of Gandhiji.

The portable charakha used in the event was designed in 1936, a design preferred by Gandhi himself over the traditional charakha with a wheel, as it was more portable. The yarn produced at such events is distributed to weavers and many participants, like Sachchidananda, make their own clothing from the yarn. This inclusive approach benefits both spinners and weavers.

Ananthoo, co-founder of Tula in Chennai, which specialises in organic desi clothing, delivered a lecture on ‘Sustainable Textile and Design.’ He emphasised that Gandhiji’s teachings offer solutions to many of the issues faced by the country today and highlighted the impact of Gandhi’s call to use only desi goods, which led to the closure of 64 garment factories in Britain.

He also underlined the importance of maintaining indigenous cotton seed varieties, especially in the face of global companies controlling cotton seeds. Ananthoo praised Gandhian thinking, stating that it is ideal for various fields, including agriculture, environment and entrepreneurship.

The event concluded with a Sufi recital by Mir Mukhtiyar Ali, a folk singer from Rajasthan. Veteran theatre personality Rameshwari Verma, Secretary of Janapada Seva Trust Melukote Santhosh Koulagi, writer G.P. Basavaraju and others were present.