Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Clothing the political man: A reading of the use of khadi/white in Indian public life

2001; Routledge; Volume: 4; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/13688790120046852

1466-1888

Dipesh Chakrabarty,

Anarchism and Radical Politics

The author examines the symbolism of the Indian politician's common dress: white coarse khadi cham pioned by Gandhi. Does its continued survival during the post-independence era signify merely hypocrisy, empty ritual? What does it implicitly communicate about the public and private intents ofpoliticalfigures? What values does the khadi conceal in its texture? Do they serve any purpose? Chakrabarty's analysis concludes by admitting that though khadi no longer conveys any message as to the prevalence of Gandhian convictions, yet it constitutes a deep-seated resistance by Indian democracy and politics to the wholesale loss of their identity in the rising surge of global capitalism.