Raksha Bandhan: Celebrating responsibly

Raksha Bandhan is here and for those looking for meaning and purpose in their gifts, here’s help in the form of ‘green rakhis’.
Raksha Bandhan: Celebrating responsibly

HYDERABAD: Raksha Bandhan is here and for those looking for meaning and purpose in their gifts, here’s help in the form of ‘green rakhis’. We speak to eco-friendly brands and individuals in the city who are helping make festive August a clean and green month.

Almost 700 million rakhis are discarded every year! Can you believe that? Plastic, beads, chamki, all breakdown into micro and nano plastics and are also a threat to animals around that feed from the dumping grounds, says Vyshnavi Gudivada, founder of Ecostudioindidia. She offers the alternative of seed rakhis that can be grown into beautiful plants after tying the rakhi.

“The whole rakhi is made with biodegradable cotton that is compostable and 100 per cent non-toxic. It has seeds attached to each rakhi at the centre and even at the tassels on both ends. These are handmade by women of self-help groups in Rajasthan under their brand Seed Rakhi from whom we bought to bring it to people in Hyderabad.” Their seeds range from jasmine and basil to something as basic as karela too. “Customers can choose from the seeds and designs and we deliver them accordingly,” says Vyshnavi whose brand manufactured and sells over 50 other eco-friendly products from toothpaste and toothbrushes to combs, lotions, shampoos and more.

Even as another festival season is beckoning us and during such times we conveniently tend to forget we ought to celebrate a bigger festival everyday — that of being on this planet Earth, gently reminds, Maya Vivek, founder of HolyWaste. “Being mindful in our consumption, being conscious consumers from this festival on is what we are looking forward collectively as a humankind. Our rakhis are conscious products made using flowers that would have otherwise polluted our Earth; there are many such products that are mindful gifting options, that we can choose from, to gift and not generate further waste,” she adds.

The immense warmth of sibling love, when celebrated with conscious and sustainable gifting, does make the Earth smile too! Hyderabad-based Align recently launched conscious sustainable products ahead of their first Conscious Learning Hub at Filmnagar. “My heart fills with gratitude when I see siblings celebrating bonds of brotherhood, building ties of friendship, strengthening the naughty fights as they turn into limitless love on rakhi. The rakhis made of temple flowers, incense sticks and fragrance waxes are the most beautiful ones you can tie this Raksha Bandhan,” Padmaja Penmetsa, Joypreneur —Align Joy, tells CE.

And who says Raksha Bandhan has to only revolve around rakhis. You can also look for gifts that are longer lasting and give and bring out more in you. A good example of such a gift is Mind Train, an engaging book for toddlers. “Over the years, I realised how commercial this occasion has become and for that I wanted to bring everyone back to their roots; especially for kids, one needs to create something fun for them to relate to and at the same time keep them true to our values and ideals we grew up with. Mind Train is one such endeavour of mine and I hope it becomes the ideal rakhi gift for your siblings,” says Sruthi Raju, author of Mind Train.

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The New Indian Express
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