The Threads That Made a Nation - Why the Loom Sits at the Heart of Our Flag

At the centre of our flag is a wheel.
It does not charge forward. It does not stand still. It turns.
And that turning has everything to do with cloth.

The Indian flag was not always what it is today. In its earlier versions, it carried the image of the charkha, the spinning wheel used to create hand-spun thread. This was not an ornamental choice. It was a deliberate symbol of strength. During the freedom struggle, strength came not from weapons or wealth, but from labour and quiet persistence.

Later, the charkha was replaced by the Ashoka Chakra. The design changed, but the idea stayed intact. The wheel stood for movement. For continuous progress. For a rhythm that does not stop.

During the Swadeshi movement, the charkha became a national symbol of resistance. Choosing locally spun cotton over imported cloth was a way to reclaim agency. Spinning became political. To wear hand-spun was to take a stand. 

This was not just about cloth. It was about control. Control over how things were made, what they were made from, and who they were made for. Choosing to spin and weave at home meant choosing to value local skill and raw material. It meant believing that the act of making something well, however small, could shift a country’s direction.

That idea also found its way into homes. A folded khadi towel in the cupboard. A handwoven bedsheet kept aside for guests. These were not just household objects. They were signs of self-respect, signs that care had gone into choosing what touched the skin, what covered the body, what stayed close. That instinct to hold on to things that matter still lingers. Even today, the wheel at the centre of the flag reminds us that progress is not always loud. Sometimes it is steady. Sometimes it starts at home.

At Oodaii, we often think about this. We think about how textiles continue to carry meaning. We think about rhythm, repetition, and the value of everyday things. The towels and linen we make are part of this story. They are shaped by the same belief in use, in simplicity, and care.

This Independence Day, we return to the wheel. Not to look back, but to move forward with intention. Not just in what we make, but in how we choose to live.