Yearly, as the joy across the much-awaited pageant of Diwali grows, so does the controversy round bursting firecrackers. The joyous pageant is, sadly, marked with alarming ranges of air pollution induced as a result of injudicious bursting of dangerous firecrackers. With the pageant simply across the nook, it’s time we reimagined our celebrations in a extra sustainable method.
As an alternative of fully casting off crackers, what if we let you know you should purchase crackers that don’t pollute? As an alternative of burning firecrackers, you may sow them and do your bit to include the rising air pollution ranges. That is the place the idea of ‘seed crackers’ or beej patakha is available in.
Organisations and collectives like Gram Artwork Venture, 21 Fools and Sow and Develop are producing such modern, eco-friendly crackers together with different dwell seed merchandise that won’t simply get rid of the air pollution and waste induced on account of conventional firecrackers, but in addition assist improve the inexperienced cowl.
Seed crackers
In easy phrases, these are firecracker lookalikes however embedded with dwell seeds as a substitute of gunpowder. “As an alternative of affecting birds and animals by inflicting sound, gentle and air air pollution, these are nature-friendly and habitat rejuvenating,” mentioned Shweta Bhattad, founder and co-worker at Gram Artwork Venture.
Gram Artwork Venture, which has been making eco-friendly crackers below their initiative known as Barood vs Beej, attempt to embed seeds that would seize the character of that specific firecracker. “For instance, the standard anar firecracker creates a golden bathe that lasts a number of seconds forsaking a path of poisonous smoke and ash. Our golden bathe seed cracker accommodates the seeds of Golden Shower tree (Cassia Fistula) which blooms in summer season.”
Gram Artwork Venture created ten completely different sorts of seed crackers this yr. (Supply: Gram Artwork Venture)
Divyanshu Asopa, founder and CEO of 21 Fools, added, “Seed crackers are look-alike crackers. The concept is to let folks benefit from the pageant however in a sustainable means.”
As an alternative of bursting them, simply sow and water these crackers and see them hatch into stunning crops that may be consumed after nurturing.
The concept behind seed crackers
Seed cracker is a relatively new idea within the nation that started toying with the thought of initiating a constructive dialogue about the best way we rejoice festivals, vital events and victories.
21 Fools, which initially began as an e-magazine in 2010 and later ventured into merchandise area, moved to sustainable practices after Asopa realised they have been losing tonnes of paper. “Since 2014, we’ve got been making a paper that may develop right into a plant. These are known as plantable seed paper and are 100 per cent biodegradable,” he mentioned.
Swap to seed crackers this Diwali. (Supply: 21 Fools)
Progressively, concentrating on main Indian festivals like Holi, Diwali and Rakshabandhan, they determined to create sustainable alternate options to the merchandise which can be utilized in these festivals. “Throughout Holi, we tied up with a group of forest dwellers and made natural colors. To interchange conventional water balloons, we created seed balloons that may develop into crops. Throughout Rakhi, we created seed rakhi. And now throughout Diwali, we’ve got seed crackers, hand-painted diyas and blue pottery diyas,” Asopa defined.
“For us, the thought has been to deal with the difficulty of pollution creatively and have a optimistic conservation round it, as a substitute of simply criticising the apply of bursting firecrackers,” mentioned Tanmay Joshi, a co-worker at Gram Artwork Venture.
“Seed crackers have been additionally conceived as a result of there was an pressing want. Yearly throughout Diwali, New 12 months, weddings or another occasions of celebrations, we see our non-human colleagues undergo very miserably,” Bhattad added.
Gurgaon-based enterprise Sow and Develop began with DIY gardening kits for youngsters. Finally, they introduced in zero-waste and sustainable alternate options of merchandise round main festivals. “For Diwali, we began with plantable seed Ganesha and Lakshmiji idols. This yr, we launched seed crackers that are principally cracker-shaped seed bombs,” Nehal Saharan, the founder, mentioned.
A way of uplifting marginalised communities
What additionally makes these crackers particular is that additionally observe an eco-friendly making course of. 21 Fools and Gram Artwork Venture work with rural girls, farmers and native artisans to create these sustainable dwell seed merchandise.
Rural girls make these seed crackers. (Supply: Gram Artwork Venture)
Gram Artwork Venture, which is predicated in Paradsinga village in Madhya Pradesh, has rural girls engaged on these crackers. “In all, girls from round 100 households of seven villages have made the making of those crackers doable. A few of these girls are farmers, some are farm labourers, some are artists whereas some are homemakers. However one frequent id that all of them maintain will be mentioned that all of them are artisans in their very own proper,” Bhattad mentioned.
Joshi added, “That is only a method to begin a dialog to have a look at girls as not simply family staff however as individuals who also can assist assist the household economically. We’re seeing the change as girls who earlier didn’t even enterprise out of their houses are actually travelling to completely different villages to present coaching.”
It’s no completely different for Asopa’s 21 Fools which focuses on “uplifting these communities and offering them a income by means of their abilities”.
It is a income for rural girls, farmers and artisans. (Supply: 21 Fools)
“Now we have a group of farmers and artisans making these dwell seed merchandise. Seed crackers are created by farmers and a gaggle of rural girls in Sanganer and Chhindwara. For blue pottery diyas, we’ve got tied up with one other group in Kot Jewar, the place the place this artwork started in India initially. The hand-painted diyas are made by craftswomen from the Jaipur-based Prajapati Neighborhood,” he knowledgeable.
Sustainable making course of
The seed crackers and different such dwell seed merchandise are 100 per cent biodegradable as solely waste paper, cardboard, waste cotton and seeds are utilized in its making. “Our seed crackers are made out of waste cotton, recycled paper and natural dwell seeds. The embedded seeds are non-GMO (Genetically modified organisms) and non-IPR (Mental property rights),” Asopa mentioned.
Speaking in regards to the seeds utilized by Gram Artwork Venture, Joshi mentioned, “Our precedence is seeds grown or collected by farmers right here. Apart from that, we go for open-pollinated selection from Nationwide Seeds companies which is a Authorities of India enterprise. Our final resort is shopping for from non-public seed firms from the place we purchase open-pollinated, non-GMO and non-hybrid seeds.”
“All our merchandise are fully eco-friendly, made with recycled paper, cardboard and seeds,” Saharan added.
Make the swap
With climate change wreaking havoc throughout the globe and rising air pollution ranges threatening the lives of many, it’s time to make this sustainable swap. Joshi mentioned, “As an alternative of portray it as an assault on tradition and traditions, we simply hope for folks to see it from a sustainable lens. We must be acutely aware in our methods of consumption and dialog.”
Agreed Saharan and mentioned, “Should you make the swap, your subsequent technology will observe go well with.”
📣 For extra life-style information, observe us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the newest updates!
