KMC’s Enactus society college will teach you how to make edible utensils
The Enactus society of Kirori Mal College has come up with an interesting way of challenging the monopoly of plastic in the disposable utensil market. Not only is this environment-friendly, it also is a means of sustainable livelihood for the ladies of the Afghani community in Bhogal district.
Now you can have your bowl and eat it too! Students of Kirori Mal College (KMC) from Enactus society will teach you how. They have come up with a unique way of challenging the monopoly of plastic in the disposable utensil market.Under their latest project Patradya, which is an amalgamation of two Sanskrit words, Patra (utensils) and Adya (edible), the students have taught women of the Afghani community in Bhogal district, to create utensils using wheat, ragi, and millet.
Along with being environment-friendly, it also provides a means of sustainable livelihood for the women from the Afghani community.
“At Enactus KMC, our aim has been to work towards the betterment of socially and economically marginalised communities. The Afghan Refugee Community not only faces social exclusion due to the language and cultural barriers, but this also leads to an acute shortage of viable employment opportunities. This project has allowed us to introduce the Afghani women to a non-exploitative source of income and has also helped to fight the plastic menace,” says Mansha Siraj, president of Enactus KMC. “The ladies of the community were very welcoming, kind and extremely enthusiastic about working on the project. They picked up the baking skills in just two to three workshops and by the fourth visit, they could not only make the bowls on their own but also package and label them.”
Led by Ishita Gupta, the project took workshops on sanitation and hygiene, baking classes, and sessions on the importance of this project as part of their three-tiered programme. They will soon be imparting financial literacy and business management skills so that they can eventually run the project as an independent business enterprise. “Our final vision is to make these ladies independent and self-sufficient in every aspect of the enterprise, right from establishing collaborations and accounting to the final distribution and delivery of the product,” says Siraj. Talking about the future of the project, she adds, “We also aim to diversify in terms of flavour and venture into the production of spoons, forks and plates.”
