How to reduce pollution with straws in Delhi NCR?
Just stop burning the straws and design some beautiful products like this man does.
Did you know?
India produces roughly 140 million tonnes of straw per year.
Can you guess what happens to this 140 million tonnes of straw that is produced every year?
It gets burnt.
That’s right.
Most farmers, especially towards the northern parts of India, set fire to the straw that is created as a by-product of rice.
Can you imagine the noxious plumes of smoke that such an activity will create?
Visibility in Delhi goes to an all-time low, and a toxic smog engulfs the entire city. The Air Quality Index is above 400. And this happens every single year.
This premise brings to mind a very obvious question — isn’t there any way we can utilise the straw instead of burning it?
As the title suggests, this blog talks about a man who did just that. This man, unlike others, chose not to come back to nature because he never went out of the shadow of nature in the first place. He has prioritised the environment and he has devoted his life to its care.
Who Is The Strawly Man?
Apurbo Biswas is a middle-aged man who belongs to the small city of Chuchura in the Hooghly district in West Bengal.
It is very difficult to define him with one single word, to summarise what he has been doing so far. He is a man who does not work only for a living. Instead, he belongs to a very rate breed — those who work for passion. He has taken it upon himself to protect the future of our mother Earth. We from Team Cheez, travelled for hours to cover his experience.
And boy, what a story it turned out to be!
So what is straw? Where does it come from?
Straw is basically a by-product of the grain harvest. It is characterised by a beautiful yellow-gold colour. It is made by cutting and forming the hollow stalks that are left after the grain is harvested. We can obtain this as a by-product from both wheat and rice cultivation.
Let's sneak into the organic history of straw and things made out of straw.
Straw patchwork art originated in China, during the Han Dynasty. But in rural India, women began to weave straws to make new things in a playful way. It was simply a way to pass their time.
Who knew it would create history?
Yes, with time, they developed a very unique kind of art by weaving straw into pictures.
As Apurbo Biswas explains, to make straws, first some hay is brought from the cultivated land. They are carefully cleaned with a soft piece of cloth. Then, they are put together and are stuck to a board. It forms a base of sorts, which can be used for artistic designs. The base is cut according to the requirement or the design.
These straws can be both coloured or uncoloured. If it's coloured, interestingly, no artificial colours are used. Apurbo takes his pledge very seriously. The straw-art process has been optimised at several different stages to make sure there are no artificial pollutants. Depending completely on nature, the shades of oats, barley, grass and vibrant flowers are used as organic dyes.
What Are Straw Paintings?
Though the process seems very easy, basic and simple, it's surprising to know that this straw-painting culture is centuries old. The history of straw paintings is illustrious, to say the least. Once, it adorned the courtroom of kings.
Of course, please keep in mind that wheat was considered to be sacred, and this is why the wheat straw was used as decorations in the royal courts. But even then!
The sheer simplicity of these straw paintings cannot belie their undeniable beauty. They might have taken a free-ride to the palace, but they certainly earned their place there!
Straw paintings are handmade crafts. No machines are used anywhere in the process. They are created by shaping straw into patterns and representational images. It gives rise to beautiful images.
In fact, so skilled are these artists that you may not even understand the difference between straw art and art!
Apurbo Biswas and his team have been working on this throughout his life.
Nowadays it has great market value. It is backed by the rising demand for unique home decor items and the increasing awareness about the importance of alternative products. Being a completely sustainable and eco-friendly product, the straw wall arts are a must buy in this era of evolving decor items.
Kudos to Apurbo and his small team. They have been involved in creating such amazing products without hesitating about finances or failures. They have been brave and they have achieved something incredible.
The least we can do is support them. After all, it is our responsibility too, as educated Indians. It’s time to make their efforts count.
Well, guys, that brings me to the end of my blog. Baby steps. Let’s take some baby steps to change the future.
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