KVIC unveils steel charkha on Champaran Centenary

Under the Champaran Satyagraha centenary celebrations across the nation, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh unveiled an 18-feet-long, 5.75 feet wide and 9 feet high grand steel charkha in Charkha Park – located in front of Gandhi Museum at Motihari on Sunday.

The grand high-quality steel, corrosion resistant and non-magnetic Charkha has been provided by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and manufactured at Prayog Samiti Ahmedabad, a KVIC unit near Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat.

Singh, in his inaugural address, said that it is a matter of pride for this erstwhile land of Satyagraha, from where Mohandas Karamchand Gandhiji started his journey to be our loving ‘Bapu’ that it is now symbolizing our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ mission.

KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said that the Charkha showcases the fusion of two great cultures of India – coming from the land of Goddess Sita and Lord Krishna. “As Mahatma Gandhi himself believed, the Charkha is a symbol of our Swaraj and self-reliance. This monument at Champaran will be a proud tribute to the Charkha’s historic importance in our nation. And, it will economically empower the lives of several weavers associated with the Khadi industry,” he said, adding, “Champaran is a testimonial town as it drove away from the Britishers – who colonized it perfectly for their trade.”

He also thanked NDA government in Bihar for rechristening old ‘Bara Bariarpur Bypass Chowk’ of Motihari to ‘Charkha Park’.

It may be noted that the KVIC has already provided altogether 60 eight-spindle New Model Charkha (NMC) to East Champaran Khadi Gramodyog Sangh, besides distributing five charkhas and one looms each in 13 villages – where Mahatma Gandhi had visited during his Satyagraha Movement in 1917.