'Nirmalaya' Turns Sacred Temple Offerings Into Eco-Friendly Products

8 million tonnes – that is how much floral waste, a study estimates, is choking and polluting our water bodies and rivers every year. But temple waste isn't just flowers. Often old clothes, offered to the gods, are also dumped into our rivers – too ‘sacred' to be disposed of as garbage. Certain rituals also demand the offering of clothes, milk, flowers, by floating them down a river or into a lake. These 8 million tonnes are killing fish and other water life, creating chaos in a fragile underwater ecosystem and causing enormous water pollution, impacting human beings as well.

But 'Nirmalaya' is working hard to protect our rivers and the environment. Formerly known as Recycle Aastha, Nirmalaya was set up by Rajiv Bansal in the year 2020. The brand strives to restore these sacred temple offerings by transforming them into eco-friendly products. Talking about the idea behind Nirmalaya, Rajiv Bansal said,

During a visit to a temple in 2019, I saw some women making incense sticks out of flowers. I liked it, as it was a kind of social work. What we offer to God with reverence, the next day they are either dumped in water bodies or in garbage dumps. That hurts a lot. But if it is being recycled to make incense sticks, that feels good. So, I thought, why not start it in Delhi?

And that is how Nirmalaya's journey began. In the beginning, it was only about incense sticks made out of flowers. But later, other kinds of waste was also considered for recycling. Rajiv said,

Initially, when we tied up with temples, we talked to them only about taking the flowers. But as we started collecting, we began to receive more than just flowers. We were receiving other kinds of offerings - milk packets, garments presented to the gods, broken statues, and a variety of other items. That's when we thought why should we recycle only the flowers? Let's recycle all that we receive.

After extensive research and development, they devised a plan to address this waste mismanagement in a more holistic manner. Rajiv said,

We manufacture incense sticks, dhoop sticks, and other prayer materials from the flowers. And we make fortune bags, money envelopes, and decorative festoons from the clothes that are offered to the gods. Our master tailor does some research and development, and we make whatever we can from the clothes. We have contacts with more than 300 temples in Delhi. We have given them our number, and we have their numbers. Whenever they feel they have accumulated enough of these offerings, they call us. Then, our van goes and collects whatever they have there. 

In India, mountains of chunnis and vastrs (clothes) are generously offered to the gods, but what happens to them the next day, or the next week, or the next year? In order to prevent them from ending up in landfills or water bodies, Rajeev decided to upcycle the clothes with the assistance of women artisans. He explained,

The cloth comes from temples and sometimes it comes mixed along with flowers. But when a lot of clothes and garments have been accumulated, the temple calls us especially to collect the clothes, and we bring back entire outfits. After that, women workers segregate them and set aside clothes that are absolutely neat and clean. Then our master tailor, who has given the ladies full training in the process, uses those clothes to create fortune bags and other such things.

Elated with his work that is stopping sacred waste from making its way to a dump yard, Rajiv said,

Earlier we used to see all these items being dumped in landfills, water bodies, or garbage dumps. It was painful to see these sacred offerings go directly from God to a garbage dump. But it brings me peace knowing that we are now recycling these offerings to make products.

Using waste as a resource, saving life underwater and promoting sustainability by empowering artisans is how Nirmalaya is creating clothes with a conscience. Now you know how to make the best out of waste and it's not so hard.