Dhamtari: Ahead of Rakshabandhan in August, women from Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district have undertaken a novel initiative of crafting beautiful 'swadeshi' hand-made rakhi threads in order to keep Chinese counterparts out of the market.
Even though crowds are expected to be much lesser at the markets this year owing to the prevailing coronavirus situation, the women from the district have been working hard towards the 'vocal for local' policy for rakhi threads.
In the Chaati and Chipli areas of Dhamtari, women of self-help groups have been making Rakhis for about two months now.
Around 165 women from 20 self-help groups of the district have been crafting beautiful Rakhis using bamboo and cow dung under the 'Bihaan' scheme.
The scheme aims to provide much-needed employment to rural women, and also keep Chinese rakhis out of the market.
"We are using bamboo and cow dung to make the rakhis. Everything is hand-made. We were provided training for 15 months, following which we began making the rakhis," said Kalyani Dili, a member of a self-help group.
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The women have also been making colourful and attractive rakhis for children. Beautiful designs with the themes of Chota Bheem, Ganesha, Santa Claus and even stationary items like erasers and sharpeners are being crafted.
However, what makes the rakhis extremely special, is the fact that the women are making them with the environment in mind.
"Inside the cow dung, we have embedded seeds. Even if the rakhi falls off, a plant will grow from the seed," explained Durga Chandrakar, a member of a self-help group.
According to the Zila Panchayat CEO, each group has been given a target of making 25 thousand rakhis, and so far, around 10,000 Rakhis have been prepared.
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"As many as 10,000 rakhis have been crafted and packaged till now. Further, we also have an order for 1,200-1,500. We will set up stalls in the city, along with online sales," said Namrata Gandhi, the ZP CEO.
The rakhis have been categorised according to their varieties, which will have varied pricing. Children's rakhis will start from Rs 50 and range up to Rs 120. Rakhis made of bamboo start at Rs 90, and the cow-dung varieties will be sold for Rs 120.
