Scoot over, gold and silver rakhi !
There are alternatives in the market that may not spell sass but do secure a bond of care towards the environment, while still retaining style, coolness, purpose, and all that jazz. Eco rakhis are already top on the shopping list for those on the look out for environment-friendly, but fashionable, threads to tie around wrists. Here are some out-of-the-box options:
Planting a bond
Gargi Parmar, the founder of online crafts store Ba No Batwo, opts for gender neutral rakhis made with seeds, which can be sown after removing the thread to which it is attached.
Gargi uses two types of desi varieties of tree seeds — karanja (Millettia pinnata) and bahava (Cassia fistula). There is a fun bonus. The rakhis also come with a beautiful handmade carving and are designed on the principle of reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose and recreate. “Every year lakhs of rakhis end up in landfills after Rakshabandhan. Most of these are made of plastic, making them non-biodegradable. Our rakhis are zero-waste, and come with zero-waste packaging (leaves) because packaging is responsible for increasing scrap in landfills by 50 to 60%,” she says.
Stuck to you
Karishma Bhagat’s Desi Drama Queen on Instagram is giving all the drama your brother wants. Her rakhis are eco-friendly, feature embroidery and thread work, and send out cool ‘bro-oriented’ one-liners. And when it is time to leave the wrist, it can be a pretty fridge magnet.
“Won’t it be cool to have the rakhi for a few years? It is all about creating memories, and since the rakhi is made to match bro-sentiment on a larger spectrum, throwing them out is a hard decision. Even if it gets tossed away by mistake, it will not harm the environment as it is made of cloth,” says Karishma.
One small step
‘Saving the planet will never go out of style’ reads the message on one of The Earth Love’s eco- rakhis . They can be planted to the soil and come in a kit. In going with the traditional vibe, it includes a small amount of rangoli and chawal for the tilak . A mini pot and soil to plant the rakhi are also provided in the kit. The seed comes encased in a bio-degradable rakhi that looks attractive.
“The Earth Love is an upcoming e-commerce marketplace for eco-conscious products. Our platform encompasses products that are organic, vegan, natural, sustainable, recycled, handmade, cruelty free and bio-degradable. For those who believe in making a difference by adopting shopping habits that impact environment in the smallest of ways to the biggest, The Earth Love is that lifestyle choice,” says Amulya Prasad, founder.
Threads of love
Does your concern for the environment keep you hooked to the internet? Try looking for handmade crochet rakhis by Payal Meena, a teacher. These look adorable, are made to suit different age groups, and can be re-purposed as well. “Some can be used as a keychain and others can be stitched on to a child’s dress as a decorative addition. For the ones to be used as key chain, I also provide a ring attachment,” says Payal.
So, why crochet rakhi ? And she concludes, “The bond between siblings should be as beautiful as the knots in the crochet which take an adorable shape.”
