Question

What happened during the Swadeshi movement? Why did people switch over to wear European dress again?

Answer 1

(i) The Swadeshi movement was centrally linked to the politics of clothing. During this movement, people were urged to boycott British goods of all kinds and start their own industries for the manufacture of goods like matchboxes and cigarettes.
(ii) The use of khadi was made a patriotic duty. Women were urged to throw away their silks and glass bangles and wear simple shell bangles. Rough homespun was glorified In songs and poems to popularise it.
(iii) But this homespun Khadi did not last for a long time. After 15 years, many people switched over to wear European dress because it was almost impossible to compete with cheap British mill-made cloth that had flooded the market.