In a modest lane of Bengeri village near Hubballi, the air hums with the rhythmic clatter of looms and the soft rustle of cotton being spun into history. Here, inside a small, sunlit khadi workshop, hands move with care and purpose — weaving not just fabric, but a symbol that unites over a billion people.

This is the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha (KKGSS) — the only unit in India officially certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to manufacture the Indian national flag. Every tricolour that flies atop government buildings, that’s hoisted with pride on Independence Day, that drapes the shoulders of athletes and freedom fighters — begins here, in this unassuming village workshop where patriotism is stitched into every thread.

A dream rooted in freedom

The roots of KKGSS go back to 1957, when freedom fighter Venkatesh Magadi and a group of committed patriots came together with a clear vision — to keep the spirit of khadi alive and create dignified livelihoods for rural youth. What began as a quiet revolution in handspun cloth grew in purpose over the decades.