Gandhi Jayanti: Remembering Bapu, Khadi and the Spirit of Swadeshi

Every year on 2 October, India pauses to remember Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi — Bapu to the nation — who was born on this day in 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat. Gandhi Jayanti is one of India’s three national holidays, and since 2007 the United Nations has also marked the day as the International Day of Non-Violence.

How the day is observed

The day begins quietly. Leaders and citizens gather at Raj Ghat in Delhi, where Gandhi was cremated, to offer flowers and prayers. His favourite bhajans, like “Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram” and “Vaishnava Jana To”, are sung at prayer meetings across the country.

Schools and colleges hold speeches, essay and painting competitions, and many communities spend the day on cleanliness drives and service — in keeping with Gandhi’s belief that the best way to honour an idea is to live it.

Khadi: cloth that became a movement

For Gandhi, freedom began with what you wore. In the early twentieth century, Indian cotton was shipped abroad, woven into cloth in British mills and sold back to India — while India’s own weavers lost their livelihoods. Gandhi’s answer was the charkha, the humble spinning wheel.

He asked every Indian to spin a little yarn each day and to wear khadi — cloth that is hand-spun and hand-woven. Khadi became the uniform of the freedom struggle, and the charkha was even placed at the centre of the early Indian flag.

The spirit of Swadeshi

Swadeshi simply means “of one’s own country”. During the freedom movement it meant choosing Indian-made goods over imported ones and supporting the craftspeople around you. More than a century later, the idea feels as relevant as ever: every handmade piece you buy keeps a skill, a village and a family tradition alive.

Wearing the spirit of the day

• Choose natural fabrics: khadi, handloom and soft cotton breathe beautifully and only get better with every wash.
• Keep it simple: whites, ivories and earthy tones in clean silhouettes reflect the simplicity Gandhi stood for.
• Buy handmade, buy local: look for block prints, hand embroidery and handwoven textiles — and get to know who made them.

Explore our handcrafted cotton pieces, or come and see the craft up close at the Aavari store in Ajmer.

“My life is my message,” Gandhi once wrote. Wishing you a thoughtful Gandhi Jayanti from all of us at Aavari.