some Vaishnava friends for making from it the gariands for the pavitra ekadashi. Sjt. Shivji started
a spinning class in Bombay. All these experiments involved considerable expenditure. But it was
willingly defrayed by patriotic friends, lovers of the motherland, who had faith in Khadi. The
money thus spent, in my humble opinion, was not wasted. It brought us a rich store of
experience, and revealed to us the possibilities of the spinning wheel.
I now grew impatient for the exculsive adoption of Khadi for my dress. Mt dhoti was still of Indian
mill cloth. The coarse Khadi manufactured in the Ashram and at Vijapur was only 30 inches in
width. I gave notice to Gangabehn that, unless she provided me with a Khadi dhoti of 45 inches
with within a month. I would do with coarse, short Khadi dhoti. The ultimatum came upon her as a
shock. But she proved equal to the demand made upon her. Well within the month she sent me a
pair of Khadi dhotis of 45 inches width, and thus relieved me from what would then have been a
difficult situation for me.
At about the same time Sjt. Lakshmidas brought Sjt. Ramji, the weaver, with his wife Gangabehn
from Lathi to the Ashram and got Khadi dhotis woven at the Ashram. The part played by this
couple in the spread of Khadi was by no means insignificant. They initiated a host of persons in
Gujarat and also outside into the art of weaving hand- spun yarn. To see Gangabehn at her loom
is a stirring sight. When this unlettered but self-possessed sister plies at her loom, she becomes
so lost in it that it is difficult to distract her attention, and much more difficult to draw her eyes off
her beloved loom.
Chapter 165
AN INSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE
From its very inception the Khadi movement, Swadeshi movement as it was then called, evoked
much criticism from the mill-owners. The late Umar Sobani, a capable mill-owner himself, not only
gave me the benefit of his own knowledge and experience, but kept me in touch with the opinion
of the other mill-owners as well. The argument advanced by one of these deeply impressed him.
He pressed me to meet him. I agreed. Mr. Sobani arranged the interview. The mill-owner opened
the conversation.
'You know that there has been Swadeshi agitation before now ?'
'Yes, I do,' I replied.
'You are also aware that in the days of the Partition we, the mill- owners, fully exploited the
Swadeshi movement. When it was at its height, we raised the prices of cloth, and did even worse
things.'
'You, I have heard something about it, and it has grieved me.'
'I can understand your grief, but I can see no ground for it. We are not conducting our business
out of philanthropy. We do it for profit, we have got to satisfy the shareholders. The price of an
article is governed by the demand for it. Who can check the law of demand and supply? The
bengalis should have known that their agitation was bound to send up the price of Swadeshi cloth