Why did Mahatma Gandhi promote hand spinning and cottage industries in rural India?

Mahatma Gandhi promoted hand spinning and the development of cottage industries as a core component of his "constructive programme," which aimed to build the Indian nation "from the bottom up".1

His focus on these traditional crafts served several key purposes:

• Economic Empowerment: Gandhi sought to supplement the meager earnings of the underemployed peasantry in rural India, which accounted for 85 percent of the population.1
• Self-Reliance: The principle of self-reliance, or swadeshi, was central to his economic approach toward achieving self-determination. By producing goods like khadi—a coarse cotton fabric made on the spinning wheel—Indians could reduce their dependence on British-manufactured goods.2
• Social Uplift: By living in villages like Sevagram, Gandhi integrated these economic activities into a broader effort to educate and improve the lives of rural citizens, moving beyond purely political agitation to address the fundamental needs of the people.1

This focus on indigenous economic activity helped sustain the ideals of the Swadeshi Movement long after its initial political phase had declined.23