Brothers are a blessing that we can count twice, and the relationship that a girl shares with her brother is precious. When it comes to India, this bond, which is marked by tying a simple thread on your brother’s hand, is celebrated with much fervor. In an attempt to do their bit for the environment, two entrepreneurs have come up with the idea of a “green rakhi.” They call it the SeedRakhi – a rakhi made from naturally dyed, organic cotton yarn and seeds. If this rakhi is disposed, it will turn into plants and help make our country greener!

Birth of SeedRakhi and its presence online

Prior to the birth of SeedRakhi, Nitin Jain along with his brother Ankit Jain cofounded Indigifts, a company that manufacturers gifting products and houses an exclusive collection of over 15000 plus gifts, all crafted in India. Both Nitin and Ankit have been passionate about creating gifts in the segment of relationships and are extremely inspired by ideas that impact the masses directly. Hence, on a parallel thought process they pondered over the idea of sustainable rakhi, thus giving birth to SeedRakhi. According to Nitin, “I used to have rakhis tied on my hand by 15 sisters, however by the end of the day I would untie them and dispose them since they were made from plastic, metal and other synthetic materials. This gave rise to a simple idea of planting a seed in the rakhi and the idea grew over a period of time. Awareness workshops in saplings and research on what kind of seeds grow in different weather conditions led us to launch Seed Rakhis in 2018. ”
While they did try selling this concept offline before taking the big leap of being online, they had their set of challenges to face. The margins were much lower in the offline market and they also realized that visibility was almost negligible, with the limited geographical reach.

A sustainable alternative

So how did the idea hit them? Says co-founder Nitin Jain, “Post Rakhi celebrations, a lot of waste is added to the environment as the rakhi made from synthetic and plastic is far from being recycled. SeedRakhi is the suitable alternative to the non-biodegradable rakhi. The SeedRakhi kit comes with coir and manure to sow the seed and grow the plant. The kit also includes handmade paper diary which is eco-friendly and the entire packaging is done with recyclable and bio-degradable paper and cloth.”
The rakhis aren't just tackling the carbon footprint of this special day, but also empowering women who are part of Self Help Groups. Skilled women in the rural stretches of our country are the crafting experts behind these eco-friendly rakhis. Adding to the green power of this wonderful initiative is the fact that the materials are products of organic farming.

#SowaSeedRakhi Yatra for a Greener India

Taking the goodwill further, the brand has come up with a #SowaSeedRakhi Yatra initiative hopes to get one million people to take a pledge to strive towards a more sustainable future. The #SowaSeedRakhi Yatra is an awareness roadshow that covers over 1500km from Jaipur to Wagah Border. Since RakhshaBandhan and Independence Day coincide on the same date this year, the initiative will honour soldiers and those in the line of duty with SeedRakhis. They will be delivered along with personal THANK YOU postcards from children in Jaipur. This initiative surrounds itself around three pillars – environment, social and economic and the aim of this campaign is to spread the message of sustainability amongst the citizens of India. SeedRakhi also aims to uplift women by upskilling them and providing more employment.

Giving ‘wings’ to a cause

Helping add visibility to the cause is Amazon Wings. This initiative aims to help its sellers to raise funds through the crowdfunding platform Ketto. Amazon Wings is helping small businesses and early-stage ideas to take flight and get the support they need to grow and prosper. According to Nitin Jain, “Amazon has been a great platform for us to get visibility and has helped us reach out to people across the country without any geographical limitations. I request a lot of sellers to come on Amazon as not only will they be able to reach out to more audience, but they will also enjoy the benefits that Amazon offers to growing companies and entrepreneurs.”