Over 300 women across 14 villages in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are hand‑crafting eco‑friendly seed rakhis through the Gram Art Project, launched by social entrepreneur Shweta Bhattad. The initiative spans the entire production journey—from cultivating indigenous desi cotton in Vidarbha to hand‑spinning, natural dyeing, and designing each rakhi, ensuring sustainability and economic empowerment throughout.

The cotton, grown in villages such as Paradsinga, Wardha, and Akola, replaces Bt cotton—often linked to ecological and health issues—with toxin‑free, farmer‑friendly varieties. The yarn is spun using ambar charkhas by women in the Wardha Gram Sewa Mandal and dyed with botanical extracts, such as turmeric, marigold, palash, indigo and other floral waste. After spinning and coloring, the thread travels to Paradsinga, where local women's groups craft the rakhis through eco‑conscious, community‑based design.

Each rakhi is embedded with non‑hybrid seeds and comes affixed to plantable seed‑paper cards made from recycled paper—so both the card and the rakhi can be planted post‑festival, growing into flowers or herbs and reducing waste. Some units retail for just INR 55–90 per rakhi, making sustainable gifting affordable while generating livelihoods and eco‑awareness.

Beyond the festival, the project’s motto—“Kamjor Nahi Hum!” (“We are not weak!”)—reflects a collective ethos of women asserting agency, earning income, and weaving environmental responsibility into tradition.