Have an eco-friendly Rakhsabandhan with bamboo rakhis, gifts made by Bastar women

RAIPUR: With Rakhsabandhan around the corner, a group of rural women in tribal Bastar region of Chhattisgarh are making eco-friendly one-of-its kind “bamboo” rakhis to motivate people to celebrate festival in a sustainable way.
This year sisters will tie the wrists of their brothers to the attractive rakhis made from these bamboos of Bastar wishing them long life.As bamboo has a sacred place in the culture of Bastar region, within these rakhis reside sacred feelings.
The women of self-help group formed in village Rotma of Bastar development block under Chhattisgarh State Rural Livelihood Mission (CGSRLM)–Bihaan are making unique bamboo rakhis. Apart from Rakhi, beautiful bamboo ornaments are also being prepared by these women which could be a unique gift for sisters.
Zila panchayat Chief Executive Officer Richa Prakash Choudhary said that the women of the group are working on a large scale to prepare these unique and beautiful designer Rakhis. Special training and marketing support is being provided by the local support organizations here for manufacture and sale of bamboo rakhis and ornaments. A precise marketing plan has been made so that women get maximum benefits. These rakhis and jewelry will be available at various counters in the lcoal market at the earliest. Besides, it will also be available for sale on online platform.
The objective is to make locals self-reliant, promote local art and encourage people to use more eco-friendly products to protect our environment. This will also create uniqueness in the brother-sister relationship. Soon these bamboo ornaments and rakhis will also be made available to tourists at major tourist places, she said.
Meanwhile, as per locals bamboo holds a special place in ancient art and tradition of Bastar. It is said that the Bastar region was covered with bamboo on a large scale, due to which the name of this region was named Bastar. Wide variety of Bamboo crafts are made by the indigenous people here. Bamboo is also commonly used in religious rituals here.