Turn right to celebrate Diwali

Rashi Mathur

Mysore, the cleanest city of India witnessed littering of such scale on Dashera that it made the royal scion take to Twitter and deliver a lecture on cleanliness. Post Diwali, the environment conscious begin to gauge pollution levels. But the post-mortems seldom prove useful if lessons aren’t learnt, in time. It’s a usual story each year and though not much would change with little efforts, at least a little would. Here are some examples that promise a happy and green Diwali. Take cues to contribute.

Nature’s basket

Last Sunday, Nitin Sharma, an event manager, organised a pre-Diwali lunch for a gathering of 50 in Chandigarh. Welcome drinks were served in kullars instead of disposable-plastic glasses, plates were made out of palm leaves and food was served in mud and earthenware utensils. The dress code for the party was khadi. What else wasn’t usual for a Diwali bash was missing sweet-boxes. “People had come up with fruit bouquets. Somebody had brought a honey hamper comprising exotic varieties of honey such as acacia from Ladakh, litchi from Muzaffarpur, eucalyptus from Uttarakhand, multi-flora from Himachal Pradesh and organic from Sunderbans,” informs Nitin. Gifts too were given an earthy twist —paintings and jute bags, depicting Madhubani art suited the occasion.

Gift a plant

The tradition of gifting gold or silver-plated décor objects has remained unchanged since centuries. However, people are showing a whimsical liking for bonsai, terrariums, air-purifying plants and herbs. “Presenting feng shui, vastu plants to the loved ones is also an endeavour to come close to nature,” says Vishakha Goyal, an associate professor from Chandigarh, who has decided to gift only potted plants this Diwali.

Pawan Gadia, CEO, Ferns N Petals says, “People have become environment conscious. Also the fact that plants yield physical and mental health benefits is prompting them to buy green gifts.” FnP has seen 30 per cent year-on-year growth during Diwali. “For the financial year 2015-2016, we received 83,700 orders in the month of Diwali,” adds Pawan.

Nurturing Green, another startup is also promoting gift-a-plant concept. It has launched a range of natural potted plants. Plants that make for an ideal gift are — English ivy, aloe vera, bamboo palm, rubber tree houseplant, money plant, red-edged dracaena and Chinese evergreens.

Style & substance

This is the year of sustainable fashion and several fashion designers have contributed for the cause. To begin with, Grassroot, an eco-friendly clothing line from the House of Anita Dongre showcased its new chanderi collection at the Amazon India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2017. The designer collaborated with the Fashion Design Council of India to bring its collection, ‘The Road to Chanderi’ to celebrate the fabric, development process and weavers. “Our clientele is educated and environment-conscious. They understand the need for sustainable fashion. We use organic fabrics sourced directly from the artisans. Apart from being a cruelty-free brand that uses no fur or leather, we also ensure to minimise adverse damage to the environment through production processes,” says Dongre.

Fashion designers Aneeth Arora, Divyam Mehta and Vaishali S also showcased Chanderi’s natural hues at the fashion week.

Art & environment

While enjoying the festive fervour, we tend to ignore the waste produced in the process. Kavi: The Poetry Art Project has taken an initiative to bring forth its conscientious, eco-friendly range of offerings, made out of waste. There is a mention of its collection in the Limca Book of Records 2015 as the first ‘poetry and art initiative’. “We have hand-crafted Ganesha gullak lamps within a price range Rs 1,299. The base of the piggy-bank is clay with a water-resistant colour coat. Our collection of recycled candles fall in the price range of Rs 199 and Rs 699. We also have piggy-banks with poetry notes. The mugs and key-hangers are created from upcycled wine and beer bottles. Then there are craft clocks, wall-art, bags, diaries and coasters, all eco-friendly,” shares Madhuri Balodi, one of the co-founders of the project. The project’s client list boasts of names like Javed Akhtar and Salman Khurshid.

To encourage women in rural areas to earn a living for themselves, Mamtaa Gupta started her venture Buzzaria Dukaan. This Diwali, it has come up with exquisite art pieces made from upcycling of products such as fabric jewellery, organic clothing, string art pieces and earring holders. “We follow the Blue Ocean Strategy, where we create but do not kill, do not destroy; we coexist,” says Mamtaa.

These small, yet powerful examples are indicative of the changing mindset of people. So, do you plan to make a difference this festive season?