For every entry ticket to National Charkha Museum, New Delhi, a Khadi Soot Mala is given free. The 20 rupees entry fee provides support to artisanal families besides the women inmates of Tihar Jail who make the khadi soot mala.
KVIC plans to turn the corpus secured from the sale of these tickets into a Trust for the welfare of economically backward artisanal families. From May 21, 2017 till January 31, 2018, the ticket sales have fetched over Rs. 20 lakhs.
The Khadi Soot mala is made of wasted material drawn from KVIC’s Central Sliver Plant at Hazipur, Patna and the final product is being made by women in Delhi and other parts of the country.
KVIC Chairman VK Saxena explained the socio-economic perspective behind this soot malas where it has brought about positive changes in the lives of artisans and have provided direct employment to 45 women.
The Charkha Museum depicts the history and evolution of Charkha, from a humble instrument to a symbol of Nationalism, freedom movement, and empowerment of the individual citizen by weaving Swadeshi cloth. The Museum showcases 14 vintage Charkha models and demonstrates the journey from “kapaas” to yarn to khadi cloth. The Museum also showcases the charkha used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ludhiana where he distributed 500 charkhas to the women of Punjab in 2016.
National Museum of Charkha was inaugurated in May 2017. This Museum is a window to the great heritage of Indian Charkha, embodying the philosophy of self-reliance. NDMC in collaboration with Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has installed a 26-feet-long (about 8 meters) Charkha. It is 13 feet (about 4 meters) high and weighs around 5 tonnes. This charkha, the biggest in the world, is made of high quality stainless steel and is installed over an open platform area of 9 meter (about 30 feet) long and 6 meters wide. It is built in such a way to withstand all weather conditions. This celebrates the continued importance of Charkha as a symbol of Nationalism