As a tributary endeavour to 150 years of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi – also known as ‘Saint of Sabarmati’ – the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has formally begun the work for installation of Grand stainless Steel Charkha on the opposite bank of Sabarmati Ashram at Ahmedabad in Gujarat on Saturday.

KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said after getting official consent for the installation of this Charkha from Sabarmati River Front development Corporation Limited , the KVIC has begun the piling work of four-feet-high granite platform near gate number 3 of Subhas Bridge River Front Park. “Much on the reminiscence of Taj Mahal and Lal Quila on opposite banks of Yamuna River at Agra, the stainless steel Charkha will be the first Charkha of this sort in Guajarat – the native state of Mahatma Gandhi. Since the location is so comprehensive, this Charkha will be visible to one and all coming to Sabarmati Ashram,” he said.

The 2.2-tonne large stainless steel Charkha is made of high-quality chromium-nickel stainless and is corrosion resistant, non-magnetic and not hardenable by heat. The order to make this 11 feet tall, 22 feet long and 6.5 feet broad spinning wheel was given to Prayog Samiti, a KVIC unit, near Sabarmati Ashram.

It may be noted that in the last three years, the KVIC had installed grand Charkhas across the nation to remind the people about the importance of Charkha in our freedom struggle . While the high-quality teak-wood Charkha, which is the world's  largest Charkha , has become an attraction for travellers  commuting to  Terminal-3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport, KVIC’s 12 feet tall and 25 feet Grand Steel Charkha at Rajiv Chowk in Connaught Place become so popular that now the people have rechristened this area as Charkha Chowk. While under the Champaran Satyagrah centenary celebrations across the nation, KVIC istalled a 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.As a part of Centenary Year celebrations of Gandhiji’s Swadeshi Movement alias BUBU, KVIC  donated a Charkha to the High Commission of India in Uganda, in association with the Republic of Uganda, had unveiled the 25-kg high-quality teak wood 3.6 feet long, Charkha – gifted by KVIC – at the Gandhi Heritage Site at Jinja in Uganda on October 2, which is also the International Day of Non-Violence.

Meanwhile, KVIC Chairman also said that it would a proud moment for KVIC as nation’s global symbol of peace, non-violence and self-reliance would spread its legacy across the world. “It was the dream and vision of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji – to take Charkha to the global level and KVIC has started taking this tool of warp and weft of our social fabric abroad, following our PM's vision,” he said.

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