Zakir Azad, Cumilla

Cumilla’s traditional khadi has captured the hearts of foreigners. They can be seen crowding almost in Khadi shops in Cumilla. Such a scene can be seen in Rajganj area of the city on Thursday evening. In a shop called Khadighar, a crowd of citizens of 10 countries can be seen. They include citizens of Malaysia, Thailand, Iran, Ghana, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Indonesia and Mauritius.

According to sources, Khadi has reached wherever there are Bengalis in the world. Through them, Khadi is also becoming popular among the non-Bengalis there. Besides, Bangladesh Rural Development Academy (BARD) organizes training on various subjects throughout the year with people from different countries. Foreigners venture out to explore Comilla's heritage after training. Visit Shalban Buddhist Monastery. Someone buys rasmalai. Someone came to the khadi shop in a group.

Kazi Sonia Rahman, joint director of Bard, said that training is going on for about a month with participants from 10 countries organized by Bard and Sirdap. Trainees participated in International Course Flagship Programme. Khadi and Rasmalai of Cumilla come first when we talk about tradition.

I brought them to the cafeteria today. They are very happy to buy cheap traditional clothes. In the shop, there are more than half a hundred foreign buyers and sellers crowded. Someone may not speak English well, so the shopkeeper is understanding the customer's needs by means of gestures. Some are looking at saree, some three piece, some Punjabi. Because money is low, some are withdrawing dollars.

Dr. Jharkhand, India. Rajesh Sinha and Dinusha of Sri Lanka said, I heard Khadi's reputation on everyone's lips when I came to training. So I came to see leisurely. Khadi looks beautiful, the price is also low. So I took it for the family. Nice to get a souvenir of Cumilla.

Pradeep Kumar Raha, the owner of Khadighar, a veteran businessman, said that Khadi cloth has spread in the world where there is a Bengali community. Foreigners who come to Cumilla are also buying khadi cloth. They later said they were feeling better. As it is a handmade fabric, a natural red feel is obtained afterwards. Exhibition of domestic products including Khadi in foreign embassies of Bangladesh will greatly promote the products.

Cumilla tradition researcher Ahsanul Kabir said that Khadi was introduced more than a hundred years ago. At that time, not only Khadi cloth, but Banarasi saree of Comilla was also in great demand. Cumilla ‘s sarees and khadi fabrics were renowned all over the world. Mahatma Gandhi called for a boycott of foreign goods during the Swadeshi movement.

Thick cloth, thick rice - such noises are heard everywhere. After the Swadeshi movement, the popularity of Khadi cloth increased. People of Comilla loved khadi cloth. Big leaders used to wear khadi pajama, chadar, Punjabi and felt proud. Branding Khadi Cumilla . It is important to maintain it well.

It should be noted that Cumilla’s Khadi clothes and Rasmalai are famous throughout the country. In Cumilla , in fact, hardly any people return empty-handed except for khadi cloth. At present there are more than four hundred shops associated with the name of Khadi in Cumilla city. The location of these shops is from the western side of Rajganj Bazar in the city to Ramghatla in Kandirpar.