Volunteers in Mangaluru make unique rakhis that will sprout to life!

How would you react if rakhis and badges sprout to life after Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day celebrations?

Normally, the rakhi that is tied to a person's wrist is either treasured forever or discarded after a couple of days. However, here is a rakhi with plantable seeds that grows into vegetables when it is sowed after the Raksha Bandhan celebrations.

Paper Seed Co, a social enterprise based in Pakshikere, on the outskirts of Mangaluru, has been engaged in preparing such eco-friendly rakhis using vegetable seeds.

Nithin Vas, the founder of Paper Seed Co, said that seeds of radish, chilli, brinjal, tomato, and ‘harive’ have been used in the rakhis and the badges. The handcrafted rakhis are prepared using recycled cardboard.

“Some rakhis have all the mixed vegetable seeds as well,” he said.

Even the badges for the Independence Day celebrations have plantable seeds.

“Following suggestions from the customers that the rakhi becomes soft when it gets drenched in the rain and the colour fades, we decided to make the recycled cardboard water-proof using natural materials. With this, the rakhi will not get decolourised in the rain. One needs to just crush the rakhi and put it in soil for the seeds to grow,” he explained.

There is demand for plantable rakhis and badges from Hubballi, Raichur, Gadag, Dharwad and other places. Social activists and environmentalists are promoting eco-friendly rakhis and badges among children, he said.

Paper Seed Co will prepare around 2,500 rakhis and badges this year. About 10 volunteers from Paper Seed are engaged in the preparation of rakhis and badges, he added.

The thread of the rakhis will remain on the person's wrist after the plantable seeds are used for growing vegetables. The thread used in the rakhi was prepared in the community by two to three families at Pakshikere, he said.

The funds raised from the sale of rakhis and badges will be used for the Paper Seed Village, the work of which began recently, he added.

“To mark the 75th year of India’s Independence, we will plant 75 saplings in the vacant plots in Pakshikere. The saplings of locally available plants, including mango and jackfruit ,will be planted so that even animals and birds will get food once they grow into trees,” Nithin Vas said..