MP: 'Mahatma Gandhi has given us employment,' says 18-year-old woman who spins Charkha to earn livelihood

Jan 30, 2023

Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) [India], January 30 : An 18-year-old woman in Madhya Pradesh who spins Charkha to earn livelihood said, "Mahatma Gandhi ji has given us employment. We earn Rs 10,000 to Rs 11,000 a month sitting at home by running Amber Charkha."
The girl, Pratiksha Soni, a resident of Khargapur, Tikamgarh district, is not only spinning the charkha but also teaching other women in her area to make them employed and financially empowered.
She has arrived here in Jabalpur to participate in a Swadeshi Khadi program being held at Nepia Town locality in the district from January 26 to January 30. During this, a small exhibition of Gandhi's Charkha was also organised in the program.
Pratiksha Soni told ANI, "I have learned the making of thread with the Charkha in Khargapur itself. A three-day training program was organised there in which I learned it. Now, I have also learned how to repair it and I teach other women how to spin the Amber Charkha."
This Amber Charcha is slightly different from the old traditional Charkha. In traditional Charkha one thread was prepared at once but in Amber Charkha around eight threads can be prepared at a time.
"The unemployed women get employment opportunities from it and can earn around Rs 11000 every month from it by sitting at their homes," She said.
She further added, "I do it alone in my family. My father runs a jewellery shop and my mother works as a tailor. When I learned making thread with Charkha, then my motive was to teach other women as well so that they can get employment opportunities and get financially empowered to earn their livelihood."
"I have taught 92 women to work on the Charkha and now they are earning by sitting at their homes," She added.
The four-day program of Swadeshi Khadi has been organised here with a motive to promote Khadi products and its importance in this modern era. A stall of clothes prepared from the thread made by the charkha is also being placed in the program. People are visiting there to see the making of thread and khadi products. They also buy clothes from the stalls. Besides, a fair has also been organised there where people are visiting and are enjoying it.