This Bhubaneswar Based Foundation Comes With Unique Green Initiative To Celebrate Cracker-Free, Eco-Friendly Diwali

At a time when various state governments have imposed a ban on bursting firecrackers owing to the rising pollution levels in the country, people have been now looking for alternatives to celebrate an eco-friendly Diwali.

To meet these expectations in the best possible way, several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have come forward to celebrate the festival of lights in a greener way. One such NGO is Odisha's Bakul Foundation, which has come up with a unique way of celebrating Diwali without causing any harm to the environment and also healing it.

The Bhubaneswar-based foundation came up with the idea of opening a public library to inculcate the reading habits among the young generation. The library offers different genres of books, India Today reported.

During Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, they had worshipped trees in the form of an elephant god inside the Biju Patnaik Park.

Potted Plants And Earthen Diyas

Now, Bakul Foundation has come up with an idea of a potted plant inside a jute basket that can be gifted on Diwali. The plants vary from medicinal herbs to plants and include a gift pack of painted earthen diyas, to celebrate the festival in a greenway.

"What we do focus on how we can inspire other people and spark a revolution. We started with libraries where we asked individuals to donate books, we have set up 25 such libraries now," Sujit Mohapatra, founder of Bakul Foundation, told India Today.

Mohapatra said that the foundation had decided of doing something serious about the environment, and that is how the idea of gifting plants came.

'Focus On Plants As Part Of Our Culture'

"We thought maybe we need to focus on plants as part of our culture. If it becomes cultural, then it becomes part of our daily lives. So that is how we thought of gifting plants," he said.

"Also, only a few months ago, we were crying for oxygen during the devastating second wave of COVID-19. It has become more relevant now that we must have more and more plants around us. The pandemic has taught each of us is even if you have an indoor plant on your desk that reduces your vulnerability and increases your immunity, there is still need to plant more trees to get more oxygen around us," said Mohapatra.

Also Read: 1,78,000 Women Apply For NDA Exam 2021 As Forces Remove Gender Barrier