“Eco-friendly” has evolved from being a mere flavour of the month term to being one that is an USP enhancer – a kind of an upper that is freely added to advertisements to push products that are as diverse as 2BHK flats and face-packs. As a matter of fact, such widespread has been the abuse that the term itself has taken in a kind of a sinister, almost plastic, feel to it. And, just when one was ready to consign one’s conscience to the crass commercialization of green-washing, banglanatak dot com presented the Leaf ‘n’ Grass – a demonstration cum exhibition & sale of “eco-friendly” handmade products made from Water Hyacinth, Sal leaves, Sabai Grass, Madur Kathi and recycled handmade paper.
banglanatak dot com which has been working at the grassroots uses the term, more as an enabler, than its more widely prevalent coinage as a climate change buster and had brought together the real people weaving real stories of sustainability using eco-friendliness as the core of their efforts. Live demonstrations of the various art forms of these people and the opportunity to hear the artists talk about their work and how they are doing their bit to reverse the ill effects of climate change were eye-openers to put things mildly. Suddenly all those clichés that the Corporates throw about eco-friendliness with careless abandon and their shiny brochures of self aggrandizement were reduced to what they really are – lifeless terms, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
There were village women weaving tales of sustainability with grass, others exhibiting their ability to carry forward the age old Bengali tradition of creating all purpose mats made of reeds (madur kathi), while even others were using Sal leaves to fashion plates that are biodegradable in the real sense of the term. Little nicknacks of daily use with a “green” heart – not the type that is associated with jealousy, but the one that silently tells Mother Earth, I care.
The sheer artistry of their craft was awe inspiring and all the things that were spread out for the visitors had the ability to arrest the attention, which was perhaps why they were quiet literally flying off the shelves. Scribble pads of handmade paper with tribal motif’s, painted coasters with scenes from the epics, items of home décor made out of water hyacinth, and different items of ethnic chic were all, literally vying for the attention, the glory of the art glowing on the weather beaten faces of the artists, who were obviously enjoying the attention through the façade of coy disbelief.
“Eco-friendliness should not be restricted to being something that we should embrace to combat global warming, especially as something that has been thrust upon us by our so-called advanced cousins from the west” explained Sayantani Roy Chowdhuri, the General Manager (Communications) of banglanatak dot com. “Eco-friendliness and Sustainability are deeply ingrained in our traditional art forms, in our daily lives and it has been our endeavor to reinforce these practices so that we may provide these art forms the impetus to reinvent themselves and in the process empower the practitioners touch base with their faith”.
“Here too, what we are doing is playing out the role of a facilitator – providing a platform as it were, trying to refurbish their efforts to breach the problem of last mile connectivity between their art and its market”.
The three day festival also had a number of folk artists performing live at the venue, which too, was borne out of such noble intentions, not to mention the entertainment quotient that they added.
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