Rakhis go eco-friendly in Gurugram

Trust Gurugrammers to make environment-friendly decisions, and plan festival celebrations with minimal wastage. A green Rakshabandhan is what’s on their mind this time. A huge number of rakhis (thread that a sister ties on her brother’s wrist as a testament of love) are discarded after the occasion, and the ones made of plastic add to environmental pollution. So, the informed citizens of the city are making eco-friendly rakhis.

How cool is that, right? It’s made with handmade paper, seeds and natural colours. Kuldeep Singh, a Gurugram-based entrepreneur and Saurabh Mehta, a Delhi-based resident have come up with plantable rakhi kits. “There’s a papier-mâché rakhi containing seeds of marigold, spinach and coriander; a plantable pencil; and a plantable letter with tomato seeds in the kit,” says Singh.

Arvind Yadav, a Sector 56 resident of Gurugram, too, has made an eco-friendly rakhi as part of group Let’s Plant Gurugram. “We use mitti (mud) and put seeds of tulsi, papaya and harsingar inside, and attaching ribbons alongside. These are available in different shapes and sizes, and are painted once dry. Sow them after the festival, and nurture that love.”

How about rakhis that can be used as fridge magnets or be sown onto dresses? Shefali Sharma, Gurugram resident has come up with rakhis made of jute and felt. “I’ve made some using felt (woollen material available in sheet form). After the festival, one can just cut the rakhi and use it as a fridge magnets or key chains. And, for the Jute rakhis, one can use them on rubber bands or suits and dupattas.”

Bhavisha Buddhadeo, an entrepreneur who has been conducting eco-friendly rakhi making workshops
in schools, Gurugram’s Dronacharya Government College and various NGOs, shares, “We used peacock feather, mauli and seeds to make rakhis, and empowered women and children while at it.”

Gurugram residents Rohit Gupta and Sameera Satija have also been teaching how to make rakhis with seed paper (recycled waste paper). “We used leaves, fresh flowers, seed paper, fox nuts and mauli thread. Sow the paper containing seeds in the soil, and saplings will grow out of them,” says Satija.

Shradhaa Sandeep Saraf, a Gurugram-based home chef and caterer says the requests for eco-friendly packaging also shoots up during Rakhi. “Normally we’d serve in the disposable boxes, but this time, we have got paper boxes and steel containers. Clients are even sending their own steel containers to me.”

Interact with the author at Twitter/@Nainaarora8