Celebrate with care

From biodegradable beej patakhas that bear the promise of new life, to coconut shell, bamboo and terracotta lamps supporting local craftsmen, here’s how you can enjoy a safe and sustainable Diwali

Curated by Prutha Bhosle, Jane Borges, Nidhi Lodaya and Anju Maskeri

Light a coconut lamp

This Diwali, why not ditch silverware in favour of some sustainable coconut shell cutlery? Thenga Coco is a women-led, Kerala-based startup by entrepreneur Maria Kuriakose that offers products made with discarded coconut shells. Thenga means coconut in Malayalam, and their products are handmade by artisans from Thrissur, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Wayanad, who are trained in coconut shell artwork. Traditionally, in Kerala, cooking utensils were made from coconut shells but Kuriakose’s research showed that coconut shells were relegated to waste and would often be burnt as fuel. On the website, you’ll find coconut shell plants, lamps, containers, wine glasses and planters, among other things. These are shipped pan-India.
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PRICE: Rs 300 onwards
WHAT: Coconut shell cutlery
TO BUY: www.thengcoco.com

Switch to fabric torans

Oh Scrap! is a passion project by Priyanjoli Basu and Dominique Lopez. They upcycle fabric scraps collected from garment exporters and tailoring units in Chennai, and design handmade and high-quality sustainable alternatives to plastic.

Torans are mandatory in almost every Indian household during the festive time, and their upcycled fabric torans that can be reused every year make for less wasteful options. Besides torans, they also have upcycled flower garlands and pooja sets. Plus, they give a seeded card with every order.
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PRICE: Rs 400 onwards
WHAT: Reusable torans
TO BUY: @ohscrapmadras, Instagram

For that warm, festive glow

Claymango’s handmade, woven hanging pendant lights made of natural bamboo fibre stripes, and handcrafted by Indian artisans, might be the perfect way to light up your home this Diwali. They have mushroom, bell, lotus, orbit and opium pendant lamps and also table top lamps to provide that a festive glow.
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PRICE: Rs 1,980 onwards
WHAT: Bamboo pendant lamps
TO BUY: www.claymango.com

Patronise our artisans

This one’s for eco-conscious consumers, who also want to contribute and support local craftsmen and artisans. Craft Maestros has a special terracotta collection to illuminate your home this Diwali. You can choose from handcrafted tea-light holders by National Award-winning pottery artist Om Prakash Galav and decorative diya sets, inspired by Indian flora and fauna, made by artisan Girija Prasad. Galav has also made a range of terracotta platters and glasses, which you could use to serve sweets and drinks during the festive season.
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PRICE: Rs 750 onwards
WHAT: Terracotta diyas, platters
TO BUY: www.craftmaestros.com

Buy a collapsible wooden lamp

Barefoot College in Rajasthan, is a community-based organisation that has been providing basic services and solutions to problems in rural communities to make them self-sufficient. This Diwali, ditch the usual lamps and lanterns and invest in one of their detachable wooden lamps made by the rural artists of Tilonia village (Barefoot College Campus) in Ajmer, Rajasthan. The highlight of these reddish-brown wooden detachable lamps is that they can be dismantled and easily carried anywhere.
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PRICE: Rs 682
WHAT: Wooden detachable lamps
TO BUY: www.tiloniabazaar.org

Barood nahin beej chuniye

21 Fools is a venture started in 2010 by Divyanshu Asopa, to provide people the option to celebrate Indian festivals more consciously. This Diwali, they have come up with beej patakhas, a collection of lookalike crackers that are plantable.

Made from waste paper and recycled materials, they are embedded with live seeds and when moist, biodegrade quickly with the seeds germinating in the soil, leading to the growth of plants like red amaranthus, amaranth, fenugreek, mustard and spinach. Unlike firecrackers, which are over in seconds and leave behind  pollution, beej patakhas  will grow into beautiful trees. 
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PRICE: Rs 700 onwards
WHAT: Eco-friendly patakhas
TO BUY: www.21fools.com

For a scented festive season

Gift a special handmade box set of scented Ayurvedic soaps, incense cones and candles made at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry. All the products are made using a special formulation, which follows the ‘Siddha’ way, a system of medicine developed in the ancient culture of Tamil Nadu.

The soaps contain pure essential oils, almond oil, wheat germ oil, herbs and botanicals, papaya enzyme and the highest quality organic aloe vera, while the incense sticks are made from natural herbs without using any chemical or artificial colours. The gift sets will be delivered in three to five days.
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PRICE: Rs 390
WHAT: Handmade soaps and incense cones 
TO BUY: www.itokri.com

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