Go Green This Raksha Bandhan - Sow Your Rakhi and Grow a Sapling

The thread of purity binding love, tenderness and promises together among brothers and sisters will preserve not only their relationship but also nature now. The Gram Art Project initiated by the women of Wardha will help to celebrate the ‘bond of protection’, Raksha Bandhan festivity with a cause.

They spin traditional cotton on the Ambar charkhas and sew original seeds in the centre of the rakhi, which can be sown in the soil to take the form of a naturally grown sapling in just a few weeks time. The seeds are selectively pasted and eventually takes the forms of fruits, vegetables, pulses or grain crop. The cotton is domestically grown by the farmers of the AKA-7 and Anand 1 quality and is hand spun on the yarns by around 50 women of Wardha.

The initiative is not only giving opportunities to conserve nature but creates an employment possibility for cotton farmers. It connects the consumer intimately with the growers and not just the manufacturers. Thousands of labourers lost their jobs after Mumbai mills were closed down in Mumbai, and The Gram Art Project is one such project to create a sustainable future for them.

Currently, most of the Rakhi makers are homemakers of the nearby villages and is supported by teenage children, who help their mothers partly during their free time. These humble eco-friendly Rakhis incur only a nominal cost and can be currently purchased through gramartproject@gmal.com, or if you happen to be in Ahmedabad, you may grab it from Arya Sanskriti Organic Product Store in Paldi. This Raksha Bandhan let’s wear the change we want to see in the world.

Image source: Facebook