A NIFT graduate puts emphasis on sustainability and functionality by using cork and Mexican cactus leather
Wallets
Even with the best of intentions, doing the right thing for the environment can feel confusing. Shivani Patel, a NIFT graduate from Chennai, who studied accessory design with a specialisation in leather goods, is here to help you live in a way that aligns with your sustainability values. Her brand, Arture, its name formed by combining the words art and nature, makes wallets, but with sustainable and natural products. “Things we buy have stories. Where do they come from? What happens after we let go of them? At Arture, we write these stories ourselves. We derive plant-based fabrics from where they are naturally grown and harvested. Next, we design with minimalism, functionality and sustainability in mind. Less is more when we’re taking from the environment and more is less, when we’re giving back,” says Patel.
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Shivani Patel
At a material fair in Hong Kong, she came across cork fabric and was instantly drawn to it. “Every design is made from 100 per cent natural cork fabrics. Cork is fully water-resistant, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, fireproof and buoyant. It’s also vegan and sourced sustainably. Cork bark is harvested from Mediterranean oak trees and is softened, sliced and mounted to create cork fabrics. The process of harvesting cork oak does not harm the tree. The bark is stripped from a mature tree, which is then left to regenerate its bark over a period of nine years,” explains Patel, who also uses cactus leather, a new, sustainable material developed in Mexico, which is soft, luxurious, flexible and hardy. “When the leaves of the cactus mature, they are trimmed, dried, and treated to make leather. The process doesn’t kill the cactus plant as it uses only mature leaves, which are replaced by newer leaves.”
Patel and her team ensure that their products are responsibly recycled or repurposed at the end of their life cycle. Arture products can be sent back after use for recycling, and on doing so, the customer gets to purchase a new wallet at a 20 per cent discount. Patel has tied up with partners like not-for-profit animal charity ResQ, that provides medical aid and rehabilitation for animals that face injury or abuse. “Our shared values about the environment helped us join paws. The cause your product contributes towards will be mentioned on it.”
https://myarture.com
A second life for temple flowers
At religious sites in India, devotees typically leave piles of flowers, and no matter how beautiful or fragrant, they must be disposed of. Tipping the discarded petals into flowing waters is one option, but this increases the burden on India’s often heavily polluted waterways. Surbhi Bansal, an eco-entrepreneur and chartered accountant, and her husband Bharat came up with the idea behind Nirmalaya, which recycles flowers discarded at religious sites and makes organic incense sticks, cones, and havan cups out of them.
Bharat Bansal
“We are trying to help the environment while working towards women’s empowerment. We employ rural women and handicapped artisans to manufacture a range of products. Our devotion should not result in the death of our rivers or deterioration of the environment. We hope to recycle eight million tonnes of religious waste dumped into our rivers every year” says Bharat Bansal. The products do not contain charcoal, are free of toxins and prepared using a patented CSIR formula, thus making them safe for use. The price ranges from Rs 150 to Rs 1,500.
www.nirmalaya.com
Chasing sunsets
Sulabh Lamba, from the small village of Goliaka in the Rewari district of Haryana, is helping us enjoy the sunset virtually because most of us are stuck indoors and can’t walk to the beach to enjoy the sunsets.
A photographer and visual artist, Lamba has combined his two passions to create some breathtaking images. The sun and the moon are the props he uses for his pictures. “It all began in 2016, when I started seeing other artists’ work on Instagram and tried my hand at clicking pictures. I prefer photographing sunsets because I just adore them. That is my favourite time of the day. The moon and sun are both celestial bodies that are easily visible and accessible for photography. As a result, shooting became second nature to me. In addition, there are very few creators who do this type of work. So it seemed unique to me, and I could do it with fewer resources,” says Lamba.
In his photographs on Instagram, Lamba creates the illusion of either kicking or carrying the sun and the moon. He says that it all comes down to one’s ability to be creative.
Sulabh Lamba
“Obviously, we all see the sun and moon on a daily basis. However, I use them as props to create scenes that pique people’s interest. In this way, I’m able to make people appreciate the sunsets in a new way.”
@sulabhlamba6, Instagram
The reality of being trans masculine
As a trans masculine person, Prithvi Vatsalya says he knows the needs of his community, have often been ignored. His podcast show, Transpeak, aims to at least begin to address the knowledge gap that exists about the invisibilised. “It also aims to act as an open-source resource for other trans masculine folk, queer people and allies to help them understand us better,” says Prithvi. The communication project featuring trans masculine people from Mumbai has been made as a part of the Ideosync-UNESCO Information Fellowship, 2020 Special Cohort on intersectional feminism and human rights. Trans masculine identities surround those people who were assigned the female gender at birth, but do not identify as female. It’s a broad group of people, who may identify as male (trans men), non-binary/genderqueer or agender.
Prithvi Vatsalya
Prithvi, a journalist, currently based out of Bengaluru, launched the show over two months ago. On each episode, Prithvi invites a guest, who throws light on their own experiences as trans people, and why the society needs to make an effort to be more inclusive. From navigating educational spaces, to discussing transitioning, and the need for comprehensive sexuality education, Prithvi covers a wide gamut of topics.
There are heartwarming moments, like the story of 29-year-old Saadhy Pawar who is working with corporates to build a bridge between them and the trans-masculine community in Mumbai. Saadhy speaks about his endearing relationship with his grandmother, who allowed him to live his dreams without judging his choices even as a child. He also speaks about heartbreak, why it’s different from what cis people experience, and finding love again.
Among other things, Prithvi discusses privilege, the challenges at work for a trans masculine person, and the need to accommodate their reality. “Most of us were raised and socialised as ‘girls’. Many of us are still perceived as ‘women’ by friends, family, colleagues and strangers alike. A Revathi in A Life in Trans Activism writes, ‘Unlike trans women, who have an alternative support system such as the jamaat, and live together, trans men have no such support structures. My deepest desire is that their stories should create awareness among parents, policy makers, professionals and the general public….’ I want to make Revathi amma’s deepest desire come true,” Prithvi hopes.
Transpeak; soundcloud.com
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