Khadi or khaddar (खादी or खददर) simply means cotton, usually handspun.

Khadi is Indian handspun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called a charkha.

Khadi is a versatile fabric, cool in summers and warm in winters. Being a cruder form of material, it crumples much faster than other preparations of cotton. In order to improve the look, Khadi is often starched to have a stiffer shape. It is widely accepted in fashion circles these days.

Mahatma Gandhi began promoting the spinning of Khadi for rural self-employment in 1920s in India. He also wanted to spread the message of not using foreign clothes. The freedom struggle revolved around the use of Khadi fabrics and the dumping of foreign-made clothes. Thus it symbolized the political ideas and independence itself, and to this day most politicians in India are seen only in Khadi clothing. The flag of India is technically only allowed to be made from this material.