CHENNAI: What will it be like to burst firecrackers without it emitting smoke, producing deafening noise, or igniting sparks? The team of 21 Fools has the answer. They have introduced seed crackers that one can sow in soil, water regularly, and watch it grow into a plant.
Encouraging people to have a green Deepavali, the Jaipur and Mumbai-based e-commerce platform launched a series of seed crackers under its project Beej Patakha in the second week of October.
Elaborating on the idea, Divyanshu Asopa, founder, says, “Our aim is to keep the practice of bursting crackers alive but in an eco-friendly way to avoid pollution. We are not preaching this concept as it may go against the sentiments of a few but we want to offer this sustainable alternative to the upcoming generation.
Through the project, we have also given employment opportunities on a freelance basis to artisans and farmers.” The team has come up with cracker look-alikes — flower pots, chakras, bombs, 100 wala, and rockets.
They do not burst and emit flames; instead, they are embedded with seeds and need to be directly planted in soil. We’re told that the team has used freshly procured seeds such as onion, mustard, fenugreek, spinach, cucumber, roselle seeds to name a few.
“The seeds are locally sourced by farmers in the regions of Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, and Sanganer, Rajasthan. The manufacturing takes place at our workshop at Sanganer. We are also offering coir pots and coco peat discs in the packaging to plant the seed crackers in,” explains Divyanshu.
The team has gone an extra mile to incorporate other handmade products by local artisan clusters in their Deepavali gifting options such as hampers, puja kits, and diyas. The hand-painted diyas are made of craftspersons from Kot Jewar village in Rajasthan.
The organic honey bottle, natural skincare goodies and Khadi silk diary in the hamper are all curated from artisans individually. So are the kumkum and saffron sachets, incense sticks, and other items for ritual in the puja kit. They are open to collaborations with corporates for gifting and bulk orders.
The seven-year-old concern has an office in Mumbai that’s currently run by a team of 10. Keeping sustainability as the focus, they are into eco-friendly stationery products, using plantable seed papers for products such as diaries, notepads, bookmarks, and greeting cards. We’re told that the papers contain various seeds. They can be rolled into a ball, watered, and planted.
“Our rakhis for Raksha Bandhan were also made of eco-friendly paper. We are also coming up with decor and lamps for Christmas and a calendar for New Year. The idea is to have 12 different plants in your garden by the year end,” reveals Divyanshu. For details, call: 9167587469, visit Instagram: 21 Fools or visit: 21fools.com
All for the taking
They ship across the country after three days of placing an order. A box of seed crackers is
priced at Rs 699. Sustainable Deepavali puja kit is priced at Rs 799. Deepavali hamper is priced at Rs 1,899. A pack of five handmade diyas is priced at Rs 499.