Chief Operations Officer, Qatar Post, Hamad Mohammed Al Fahida (left) presenting commemorative stamps of Mahatma Gandhi, to the Ambassador of India to Qatar, P Kumaran, during the ’Celebrating Khadi’ function organised by the Indian Embassy at VCUarts Q
On the eve of Mahatma Gandhi’s sesquicentennial birth anniversary, Qatar Post released commemorative stamps at an event dubbed “Celebrating Khadi: The Fabric of Freedom” at VCUarts Qatar yesterday.
The postage stamps were launched by Hamad Mohammed Al Fahida, Chief Operations Officer at Qatar Post and Indian Ambassador P Kumaran at the event which featured an exhibition and fashion show organised in commemoration of Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary and in line with India-Qatar 2019 Year of Culture.
“For us, this is a very special year because it’s India-Qatar Year of Culture and also the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, so we wanted to present something which projects Indian culture, Indian fashion, Indian textile industry and also link it to Mahatma Gandhi in some way,” Kumaran told The Peninsula.
The event showcased the creative use of the khadi, a fabric deeply associated with Gandhi and which played a pivotal role in India’s freedom movement, thus it has become known as ‘fabric of freedom’.
“Gandhi personally popularized khadi. He used to spin thread on a portable spinning wheel like some kind of meditation for him and to encourage people to do it. Even today the government is doing all it can to promote it partly because of the sentiments associated with the Indian freedom movement but also because it is eco-friendly,” said the Indian ambassador.
The exhibition paid tribute to Gandhi, the Father of the Nation while tracing the history of khadi and showcasing India’s vibrant khadi culture over half a century after Gandhi’s death.
“We are very happy to be here in Qatar. We have brought some of the best craftsmen to exhibit their work in Doha - different varieties of khadi which is the famous handmade fabric of India called the Fabric of Freedom. We show the raw fabric as well as the processes that go around it like appliqué and block printing and also the kind of patchwork and embroidery that craftsmen do,” Prasad Bidapa, curator of the exhibition and fashion show, told The Peninsula.
Bidapa, a well-known Indian fashion guru and creator of high-profile fashion events, said he had been known for doing khadi shows in India as well as in cities around the world such as London and Tokyo but this was the first time for him to bring such event in the Middle East.
Dozens of khadi creations by some of India’s top fashion designers such as Abraham & Thakore, Rimzim Dadu, Abrar Ali, Bibi Russell and Hemant Trvedi were met with ovations as models wearing the stunning designs sashayed the runway during the fashion show attended by ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions, VIP guests, Indian community leaders and fashion connoisseurs.
The event was organised by the Indian Embassy in association with VCUarts Qatar and the Indian Community Benevolent Forum.
Some events to mark Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary have already been organised by the Indian Embassy in the last few months, including ‘Experiments with Truth’- a photo exhibition at Katara, and a rendition of “Vaishnava Jan Te”, Gandhiji’s favourite bhajan, by Qatar-based singer Abdul Rahim.
