Beautiful wallets, without the guilt

Even with the best of intentions doing the right thing for the environment can feel confusing Shivani Patel a NIFT graduate from Chennai who studied accessory design with a specialisation in leather goods is here to help you live in a way that aligns with your sustainability values Her brand Arture its name formed by combining the words art and nature makes wallets but with sustainable and natural products ldquoThings we buy have stories Where do they come from What happens after we let go of them At Arture we write these stories ourselves We derive plantbased fabrics from where they are naturally grown and harvested Next we design with minimalism functionality and sustainability in mind Less is more when wersquore taking from the environment and more is less when wersquore giving backrdquo says PatelShivani PatelAt a material fair in Hong Kong she came across cork fabric and was instantly drawn to it ldquoEvery design is made from 100 per cent natural cork fabrics Cork is fully waterresistant antifungal antibacterial fireproof and buoyant Itrsquos also vegan and sourced sustainably Cork bark is harvested from Mediterranean oak trees and is softened sliced and mounted to create cork fabrics The process of harvesting cork oak does not harm the tree The bark is stripped from a mature tree which is then left to regenerate its bark over a period of nine yearsrdquo explains Patel who also uses cactus leather a new sustainable material developed in Mexico which is soft luxurious flexible and hardy ldquoWhen the leaves of the cactus mature they are trimmed dried and treated to make leather The process doesnrsquot kill the cactus plant as it uses only mature leaves which are replaced by newer leavesrdquoPatel and her team ensure that their products are responsibly recycled or repurposed at the end of their life cycle Arture products can be sent back after use for recycling and on doing so the customer gets to purchase a new wallet at a 20 per cent discount Patel has tied up with partners like notforprofit animal charity ResQ that provides medical aid and rehabilitation for animals that face injury or abuse ldquoOur shared values about the environment helped us join paws The cause your product contributes towards will be mentioned on itrdquo httpsmyarturecomA second life for temple flowersAt religious sites in India devotees typically leave piles of flowers and no matter how beautiful or fragrant they must be disposed of Tipping the discarded petals into flowing waters is one option but this increases the burden on Indiarsquos often heavily polluted waterways Surbhi Bansal an ecoentrepreneur and chartered accountant and her husband Bharat came up with the idea behind Nirmalaya which recycles flowers discarded at religious sites and makes organic incense sticks cones and havan cups out of themBharat BansalldquoWe are trying to help the environment while working towards womenrsquos empowerment We employ rural women and handicapped artisans to manufacture a range of products Our devotion should not result in the death of our rivers or deterioration of the environment We hope to recycle eight million tonnes of religious waste dumped into our rivers every yearrdquo says Bharat Bansal The products do not contain charcoal are free of toxins and prepared using a patented CSIR formula thus making them safe for use The price ranges from Rs 150 to Rs 1500wwwnirmalayacomChasing sunsetsSulabh Lamba from the small village of Goliaka in the Rewari district of Haryana is helping us enjoy the sunset virtually because most of us are stuck indoors and canrsquot walk to the beach to enjoy the sunsetsA photographer and visual artist Lamba has combined his two passions to create some breathtaking images The sun and the moon are the props he uses for his pictures ldquoIt all began in 2016 when I started seeing other artistsrsquo work on Instagram and tried my hand at clicking pictures I prefer photographing sunsets because I just adore them That is my favourite time of the day The moon and sun are both celestial bodies that are easily visible and accessible for photography As a result shooting became second nature to me In addition there are very few creators who do this type of work So it seemed unique to me and I could do it with fewer resourcesrdquo says LambaIn his photographs on Instagram Lamba creates the illusion of either kicking or carrying the sun and the moon He says that it all comes down to onersquos ability to be creativeSulabh LambaldquoObviously we all see the sun and moon on a daily basis However I use them as props to create scenes that pique peoplersquos interest In this way Irsquom able to make people appreciate the sunsets in a new wayrdquosulabhlamba6 InstagramThe reality of being trans masculineAs a trans masculine person Prithvi Vatsalya says he knows the needs of his community have often been ignored His podcast show Transpeak aims to at least begin to address the knowledge gap that exists about the invisibilised ldquoIt also aims to act as an opensource resource for other trans masculine folk queer people and allies to help them understand us betterrdquo says Prithvi The communication project featuring trans masculine people from Mumbai has been made as a part of the IdeosyncUNESCO Information Fellowship 2020 Special Cohort on intersectional feminism and human rights Trans masculine identities surround those people who were assigned the female gender at birth but do not identify as female Itrsquos a broad group of people who may identify as male trans men nonbinarygenderqueer or agenderPrithvi VatsalyaPrithvi a journalist currently based out of Bengaluru launched the show over two months ago On each episode Prithvi invites a guest who throws light on their own experiences as trans people and why the society needs to make an effort to be more inclusive From navigating educational spaces to discussing transitioning and the need for comprehensive sexuality education Prithvi covers a wide gamut of topicsThere are heartwarming moments like the story of 29yearold Saadhy Pawar who is working with corporates to build a bridge between them and the transmasculine community in Mumbai Saadhy speaks about his endearing relationship with his grandmother who allowed him to live his dreams without judging his choices even as a child He also speaks about heartbreak why itrsquos different from what cis people experience and finding love againAmong other things Prithvi discusses privilege the challenges at work for a trans masculine person and the need to accommodate their reality ldquoMost of us were raised and socialised as lsquogirlsrsquo Many of us are still perceived as lsquowomenrsquo by friends family colleagues and strangers alike A Revathi in A Life in Trans Activism writes lsquoUnlike trans women who have an alternative support system such as the jamaat and live together trans men have no such support structures My deepest desire is that their stories should create awareness among parents policy makers professionals and the general publichelliprsquo I want to make Revathi ammarsquos deepest desire come truerdquo Prithvi hopesTranspeak soundcloudcom