Plant a pencil, feed a village

Pics/ Atul Kamble

We don't call these pencils. We call them concepts," says Wadala resident Keki Mody. He is the man behind Solutions 2 Change, an outfit that makes innovative pencils from recycled newspapers. At the tip of each - instead of an eraser - is a capsule with seeds of methi, palak, tulsi and lal saag. Once the pencil whittles down, you can plant the seeds in a pot in your kitchen garden. "The pencils are made by women tribals in Kala Handi and Jagatsinghpur in Odisha. Most of them are abandoned and raising children alone." Mody, whose full time profession is running a travel firm that offers holidays to foreigners visiting India, says, that once the start up breaks even, he plans to conceive a food park where the tribals can grow produce like banana and coconut and offer it to urban consumers. "We currently employ 46 members at the factories," says Mody.

Cost: Rs 250 (box of 10 pencils)
Call: 24983055

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