“If we have the ‘khadi spirit’ in us, we would surround ourselves with simplicity in every walk of life”. – Mahatma Gandhi.
I discovered this simplicity when I visited Magan Sangrahalaya, Maganwadi in Wardha. Gandhiji lived in Maganwadi, Wardha for two years, after his departure from Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat. Magan Sangrahalaya is the only museum started by Gandhiji. Today the museum houses several interesting sections including an exhibition on the rare belongings of Mahatma Gandhi. The museum also hosts a gallery on various types of Charkhas (spinning wheels) for making yarn out of cotton and verities of hand spun and handwoven fabric. It also exhibits various village industries and appropriate technologies for people.
The most interesting part of this visit was to walk through the Khadi unit, a centre for fine hand woven and hand printed Khadi fabrics made purely out of organic material. Every single process of making the fabric involves working with hands. The use of machines is next to none.
When I stepped into the centre, I thought we would walk through it in just about an hour. But once I met Mukesh Lutade, the Director at the centre, my master class on handmade fabrics started. Mukesh did not spare a single detail while showing me around the centre. He explained every single process in the making of the fabrics, from how they source organic cotton from farmers to spinning the yarn using solar-powered Charkhas (spinning wheels), to using 100% organic colours extracted out of natural resources sources, to dyeing techniques, to washing the fabric in rectangular tanks to give the fabric the effect of running water of the rivers.
One of the highlights is the printing process using hand-carved wooden blocks with intricate designs. Multiple blocks are used to create a layer of print on top of the other to arrive at the final design. To see the artisans doing it swiftly and flawlessly is a fascinating experience. Guests are welcome to try their hand at block printing. Printing fabrics using natural leaves is another simple yet fascinating technique to create beautiful designs.
But what inspired me most is the brush-stripe process. I didn’t understand this term till I actually saw the stripes created on fabric using a paint brush with organic colours. As simple as it may sound, but the process of creating stripes on fabric using a paint brush is not that simple. It requires a certain technique and flow of the hand to run the brush at a stretch on the fabric to create the stripes with consistency. The artisans here do it with ease and create 10 to 15 meters of fabric every day using this technique.
I eventually spent about 5 hours walking through every section of the centre guided by Mukesh Ji. It was inspiring to see his passion and his involvement with every single process of making those beautiful printed fabrics.
Finally, I met Dr Vibha Gupta, chairperson of Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti. Dr Gupta is a PhD from IIT Delhi on “Transfer of Technology Amongst Rural Women”. She has dedicated her life to the emancipation of rural people particularly women of Rural India by setting up micro-enterprise projects.
The Khadi unit is one such project that helps farmers, women and artisans who work to create some of the most beautiful designs on fabrics. Dr Gupta’s powerful words still resonate with me, when she said that by taking away hands from our work, we are also taking the peace away from people. But at Magan Khadi, everyone works using their hands and you can see the peace and happiness on their faces. We too left happy and content after this visit but not before a sumptuous home-cooked meal hosted by Dr Vibha Gupta at her residence.
When I planned my trip to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, I made it a point to make a short detour to Wardha to visit the Magan Sangrahalaya. This place was strongly recommended to me by a long-term business associate and friend Bela Banker from the United States. Bela had visited the centre last year and was equally impressed with it. I cannot thank her enough for suggesting this place to me.
This link to a short video on Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti will give an insight into this experience.
Travel Scope highly recommends a visit to Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti for our travellers planning a trip to Tadoba. Please write to us for further details on how to include it on your itineraries.
