Combating climate change with "Rakhis" - A project by 1100 tribal women from India

Spirituality & Human Values | Published: August 17, 2021 | 3 min read

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar launched Vruksha Bandhan Project under which 1100 tribal women created Rakhis for Raksha Bandhan with seeds of indigenous trees at The Art of Living Centre of Excellence, Aurangabad, Maharashtra in partnership with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

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This is a unique contribution to increasing forest cover and combating climate change.

The virtual event was graced by Mr. Naval Kapoor, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs – GOI, Mr. Ashish Bhutani, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture – Govt. of India, and Mr. Chiranjeev Prasad, Inspector General, Police, Nagpur, Maharashtra.

Highlighting the role of the tribal women in the production of Rakhis, Gurudev said that to tackle issues like air pollution and climate change, Jana Shakti, Rajya Shakti and Devi Shakti need to come together, as can be seen in this project.

Mr. Naval Kapoor commented on the uniqueness of the project and indicated that a project such as this should be implemented in other states such as Jharkhand and Bihar where large tribal populations are present.

The Rakhis are made of indigenous seeds stuck on naturally dyed, soft indigenous, non-toxic, biodegradable cotton. Once used, the seeds can be sown in soil, thereby benefiting the environment. It is envisioned that 10 lakh trees would be established from this project and the project will provide employment to 1100 tribal women.

Dr. Prabhakar Rao, Project Director stated that The Art of Living plans to increase the production every day thus establishing alternate revenue streams for tribal women while also increasing awareness of protection of desi seeds and increasing forest cover.

The Adivasi Kissan Mahila Manch ladies displayed the wide array of ‘Seed Rakhis’ and the process of making them. The colourful diversity was appreciated by one and all.

Tribal women making the eco-friendly Rakhis using seeds. These Rakhis can be planted after use.

Close up of tribal women making the eco-friendly Rakhis using seeds. All parts of the Rakhi are completely natural and bio-degradable.

A display of the variety of Rakhi's created by the tribal women.

Officials from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs joined the online event where this project was official launched.

This post is also available in: हिन्दी