Hudli, a quaint village that lies halfway on the State Highway between Belagavi and Gokak, is associated with some interesting anecdotes of the country’s history. It was home to Karnataka Kesari Gangadhar Rao Deshpande, a follower of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi, who led the Khadi and village industries movement for several decades.
Deshpande and his associates declared Hudli a Khadigram in 1923. He invited Gandhi to spend 10 days in Hudli in 1937. Sarvodaya activists of the village organised the wedding of Gandhi’s granddaughter Manu Gandhi and Surendra Mashruwala at a simple ceremony. Then, 10 followers of Deshpande set up the Khadi Gramodyog Sahakari Utpadak Sangha in 1954 that continues to function even today.
It was a simple, closed-door ceremony in the house of Deshpande. Locals say that only 22 people were invited to the wedding which was seen as a model in more ways than one.
