: Going Truly Local, Homemaker Makes Sells 10,000 Ecofriendly Bamboo Rakhis! #IndiaNEWS #Maharashtra Minakshi Walke, a homemaker from Chandrapur in Maharashtra, is known for making beautiful and eco-friendly

Going Truly Local, Homemaker Makes Sells 10,000 Ecofriendly Bamboo Rakhis! #IndiaNEWS #Maharashtra
Minakshi Walke, a homemaker from Chandrapur in Maharashtra, is known for making beautiful and eco-friendly handicrafts, jewellery and gift items from bamboo. She started her entrepreneurial journey in 2017 with small-scale home-made items and later established her brand Abhisar Innovatives.
While the global pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has affected the sales and economy, Minakshi is not deterred by it. In fact, according to her, this is the right time to extend a helping hand towards the unemployed people and create job opportunities.
With Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day just around the corner, the 29-year-old is busy making tricolour badges and rakhis from bamboo. She has also hired local women from an underprivileged background to hand weave sustainable products.
“The lockdown has been difficult for all of us but we have to move past the situation and reinvent ways to get back on our feet. Initially, I had only planned to focus on making a limited number of rakhis but as I found very few takers for my other products, I increased the rakhi number and even added flags in the production,??? Minakshi tells The Better India.
On Making Rakhis & Badges

To maintain social distancing, Minakshi has distributed the raw materials to the local women so that they can sit at their homes and weave the badges and flags.
The bamboo sticks are intricately weaved together in different shapes and sizes to make the patchwork of rakhi. For some rakhis, even the thread is weaved from bamboo. For the tricolour badges, Minakshi hand weaves a chatai (mat) and then cuts them into small rectangular pieces. They are then coloured with acrylic paints.

Minakshi’s one-of-a-kind rakhis and tricolour badges are creating quite a stir as they are not only eco-friendly but also cost-effective.
“We have kept the price at Rs 20 for both the products, and have sold over 10,000 rakhis across India in cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Indore and Pune. Our target for the badges is around 3000. ???
Mumbai-based Lata Menon, a distributor of sustainable products, purchased 700 rakhis from Minakshi after learning about her efforts through a Facebook page.
“I was able to sell all the rakhis within two days in several parts of India. What struck me the most about her products are the intricate designs and shape. They are minimal and all of them are crafted with love. Plus, the cost is affordable,??? Lata tells The Better India.
On Overcoming Hardships

The daughter of a farmer, Minakshi couldn’t pursue her passion for civil engineering due to financial strains at home and was married off in her early 20s.