ULTRA HIP: Khadi outfits by Arora and Rathore

In what might seem to be the ultimate paradox of history, it has taken a colonial multinational company and a princely aesthete to mount what is slated to be the defining exhibition on Mahatma Gandhi's beloved khadi. "Khadi-the Fabric of Freedom", curated by textile guru Martand Singh and sponsored by the Volkart Foundation, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee on January 30 at Mati Ghar, Indira Gandhi Centre for the Arts, Delhi.

The exhibition will not only bring the focus back on the hand-spun, hand-woven fabric in an age that celebrates both the organic and global in one sweep, but also suggest product diversification by displaying modern outfits created by top-of-the-line fashion designers like Ritu Kumar, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, Raghavendra Rathore, Asha Sarabhai, and Manish Arora. The exhibition, which travels to Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata over the year, also has an elaborate calendar of book releases, talks and related activities for each city.

The Volkart Foundation is a philanthropic agency set up by Volkart Brothers, a Swiss company which traded in commodities in India during the Raj. In post-colonial times their concerns span from non-violence to environmental sustainability. So what better could they do in India than support the reincarnation of khadi with all its potent symbolism?

-S. Kalidas

LOOMING LIES: Shopping at Dilli Haat

What's the difference between pashmina and semi-pashmina? Ask Mir Rashid Ahmad at his stall in Dilli Haat-the eight-year-old handicrafts and handlooms mart in Delhi-and he says, "Semi-pashmina is just pashmina in which we've used the waste." Bunkum, say those who know better. "Semi-pashmina" is no relation of that treasured fibre shorn off the yak. It's a deceptive sobriquet used by some Kashmiri traders for quality merino wool a.k.a. raffal shawls, sometimes even for machine-made sheep's wool products from Punjab. And that's not the only lie floating around Dilli Haat these days.

A joint project of Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation and the New Delhi Municipal Council, Dilli Haat is run in collaboration with the Union Textiles Ministry whose development commissioner (handicrafts) and development commissioner (handlooms) allot stalls to artisans to stock their handmade wares. That's the theory. In practice, factory-made white metal jewellery and synthetic fabrics are a significant presence here. So are traders and middlemen. Many poor artisans-sometimes even the NGO assisting the government-sell their stalls to richer ones for Rs 10,000-30,000. At a recent Northeast festival, almost half the stalls were occupied by people from Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and other states though officials concede that this is against the rules. Stalls are to be given out for only 15 days. But, says Jaya Jaitly, member of a committee that oversees the functioning of Dilli Haat, "Some artisans stay on for successive fortnights using the names of family members, or by making arrangements with government officials."

Government teams purportedly conducting checks from time to time seem mysteriously unable to detect these blatant malpractices. Strange.

-Anna M.M. Vetticad

Flying High

FINALLY, MY FLAG: Jindal

The Union Cabinet's new Flag Code giving every citizen the right to fly the Indian tricolour-every day, not just on special occasions-comes into effect on Republic Day. That marks the triumph of Naveen Jindal, 31, head of Jindal Steel and Power, in a seven-year suit at the Delhi High Court. "What do independence and the freedom of expression mean if you are not allowed to fly your own national flag?" asks Jindal. "What better tool to spread patriotism?" The new code permits display but prohibits misuse, insults and disrespect to the flag. Malini Ramani's brand of patriotism doesn't quite make the cut.

-Methil Renuka