BENGALURU:  While the news of COVID-19 taking over the world is worrying us, we are also getting to see nature flourish. Pollution levels have come down because people are staying indoors and many tourist spots are coming back to life, with no more campers and plastic bottles. This pandemic is also teaching us how small changes can have a big impact on the planet. Bhava India, a social enterprise that works with recycling products, is now encouraging those who are willing to make a change towards such a cause. 

Their campaign Gen r, short for Generation r (r in Devanagari scrpit), is rooting for an army of individuals who can work towards reducing environmental impact by upcycling and reusing things from their own homes. During times like now, when going out and shopping for furniture, clothes or toys is impossible, and when we have a lot of time on our hands, the concept of upcycling can be both satisfying and convenient. “Most of last year, we focused on women empowerment. But Gen r, the latest campaign, is building a group of people called the Gen r Tribe.

We want to bring them to the forefront so they can speak about how they do it, and people have more real-life examples to follow,” says Sanju Soman, co-founder of Bhava. According to him, the campaign focuses on multiple aspects, like reducing carbon footprint, encouraging local farming even at household levels and building a conscience towards contributing to recycling concept.

On the organisation’s Instagram page (@bhavaindia), one can find many workable upcycling ideas. Neha Chopra (@jugniology) has upcycled an old, pink saree into a tepee and old curtains into cushion covers. She has also upcycled an old kurta and palazzo to make handkerchiefs, and drawstring bags. Shweta Mahadevan (@shweta_vidhishas_amma) has made a ring toy for her child using an old pressure cooker ring, attaching a spatula and bells to it to add a cute jingle. 

The sensory bottles were made using old plastic bottles. From turning pillowcases to tote bags and sarees to curtains; things that could really help you turn your house into a more personalised living space have been successfully thought out by the participants.

“It has been going great so far. Around 20 people message us every day about something they have made using mundane objects. The idea is to create a personal consistency on sustainability. Each person needs to understand that it comes down to all of us to make such small differences,” says Sanju.