Threads of Freedom: The Man Who Spins Gandhi's Dream Into the Present
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Nagpur: Each morning, Arun Deshpande pedals his half-century-old bicycle through Nagpur's lanes, dressed in a freshly pressed khadi kurta and pyjama. To passersby, he might look like a retired teacher heading for a stroll.
But his destination — and mission — has remained the same for more than 30 years: Keeping alive the Gandhian art of hand-spinning cotton on the charkha.
Since 1992, the man everyone calls "Arunji" has worn only handwoven khadi and has taught hundreds — from students to judges — how to spin yarn. "The charkha is not just a tool," he said. "It is a philosophy. I learn, I teach, and I live Gandhi every day."
Born in Hinganghat, Wardha district, into a close-knit, culturally grounded family, Deshpande built a career in Maharashtra's education department, serving as a primary school teacher and later a school inspector.
Yet the security of a govt post could not compete with the pull of Gandhian ideals. Inspired by Sane Guruji, Vinoba Bhave, and Mahatma Gandhi, and guided by his mentor Gade Guruji, he left govt service to devote himself to the Sarvodaya Ashram in Nagpur, promoting moral and cultural values.
His outreach was extensive. During Sane Guruji's birth centenary year, he visited thousands of schools across Maharashtra, telling moral stories, singing devotional songs, and introducing classics such as Geetai and Shyamchi Aai to new generations.
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"These were not just lessons," he recalled. "They were seeds we planted in young minds."
His charkha, however, remains the heart of his work. Last year, he taught a former senior high court judge to spin cotton over a period of four months. In another instance, he restored two dilapidated charkhas belonging to Sharad Ranade, taking them to Wardha's Gopuri for repairs before returning them in working order — an act that moved Ranade to gift him a pethi charkha, which Deshpande still treasures.
Now enrolled in Gandhi and Thought department at Nagpur University, Deshpande is often the oldest in his class by decades. His classmates are young enough to be his grandchildren, yet he is usually the first to arrive, armed with an energy and discipline that belies his years.
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