Organic Khadi at dāram

This Gandhi Jayanti dāram launches Kala Cotton Khadi collection for women and men. Kala (pronounced kah-lah) cotton is old-world cotton of the type G.Herbaceum that is endemic to the district of Kachchh in Gujarat. Its main features are short to medium staple length and closed to semi opened boll type, which is picked along with its calyx. Kala Cotton is genetically very pure. In current conventional agriculture, majority of the cotton grown in India is Bt Cotton, which is a genetically modified hybrid. Kala Cotton is among the most water efficient cottons in the world. It grows easily in rainfed conditions— even in areas with less than 40cm rainfall which are considered drought prone. Its drought tolerance (i.e. moisture stress level) is so amazing that it does not require additional watering (i.e. irrigation) to complete its life cycle. Studies show that approx 1400 liters of irrigated ground water is needed to cultivate 1 kg of cotton as against Kala Cotton which is completely rain-fed. For the most part, Kala Cotton is grown in Kachchh without use of chemical fertilizers and pesticide. Thus, the ecological footprint of Kala Cotton is very low as compared to other cottons and it is among the most energy efficient and carbon neutral in the world.

KHAMIR’s organic cotton initiative reintroduces a holistic approach to cotton textile production in harmony with the ecology of Kachchh, by facilitating the linkages of  a sustainable local production chain—thus providing income for small and marginal farmers, spinners, ginners and weavers.

Also available at dāram is a range in Khadi from Sandur, Bellary district of Karnataka and Khadi fabrics, sarees, dupattas from Dastkar Andhra Marketing Association (DAMA)