Two bodies making efforts to revive desi, organic cotton

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 16

To revive desi as well as organic cotton, two organisations will display their products at the Kudrati Kisaan Haat set up at Eklavya School here.

The initiatives under the two bodies, Trinjan (Faridkot) and Tula (Chennai), are being brought to the city by the Kheti Virasat Mission.

Tula and Trinjan are working to revive the desi cotton seed conservation, hand spinning and weaving and natural dying techniques. Their objective is to promote the growth of desi cotton while replacing water intensive crops such as paddy, break the monoculture of rice and wheat, prevent exploitation of groundwater and bring back traditional cropping patterns.

Promoting sustainable agriculture and aimed at rooting out carcinogenic elements in our clothing and lifestyle, the initiative being brought at Eklavya School on Sunday is titled ‘A sustainable Fashion Redux’. The twin outlets will feature cotton kurtis, shirts, trousers, durrees, towels and a host of other materials made out of desi cotton fabric, all of which is handspun, hand-woven and dyed with traditional organic colours.

Lipika Kochar, Secretary, urban farming, Kheti Virsat Mission, said: “The initiative is a sort of the mission’s answer to the cancer belt. Anantu, who started organic farmers’ market in Chennai, became an inspiration for Trinjan. Several farmers are also taking to organic cotton cultivation with the initiative serving as a major fillip to the organic market. There are farmers who are even sowing unique varieties such as black cotton which gives a brown fiber. Tula even has products from rain-fed cotton in which water has not been used externally or artificially but was cultivated through rainwater.”

Their stall will be put up at the Kudrati Kissan Haat on Sunday from 12 pm.