4 days ago
The French connection that sparked an eco movement in Kutch
Ahmedabad: Their meeting was brief, almost incidental, but it would go on to shape the lives of many women and lend them a new purpose. This encounter took place in 2009 in dry, arid Kutch.
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One of them was Katell Gélébart, a nomadic eco-designer from Brittany, France. The other, Rajiben Vankar, from the nondescript village of Kotai, who was deeply disturbed by the plastic pollution harming her community and its animals.
A brief observation of Katell experimenting with weaving discarded plastic at a workshop at the Khamir artisan centre near Bhuj in 2009 ignited a powerful idea in Rajiben. She nurtured the spark over the years, transforming it into an enterprise that gained national recognition, including appreciation from the President of India and the Janaki Devi Bajaj Award.
She went on to establish her own brand and train around 100 women.
Now, in a full-circle moment planned for July 2025, Katell, whose work first planted the seed, is set to return to Kutch — likely to witness the growth that followed her initial encounter with Rajiben.
Katell's journey toward turning waste into value began early in her life in Brittany. "At age six, I witnessed the devastating Amoco Cadiz, an XXL tanker, oil spill.
It left a sad memory of 'the hand of Man on nature'." This, combined with an inherited "bricolage habit" from her parents — bricolage refers to the practice of creating or solving problems using whatever materials, including waste, are at hand — formed the foundation of her work, she recalls in her book 'The Freedom of Having Nothing, Ecodesigner and Global Nomad'.
This also brought her to India on multiple occasions.
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"I own four boxes filled with my clothes and four bicycles in India — in Delhi, Mumbai, Rajasthan, and Gujarat," she told TOI. In Kutch, she came to Khamir in 2005 and 2009, where she collaborated with artisans.
In Bhuj, she noted how discarded plastic bags and packaging were scattered everywhere, harming animals. This also resonates with Rajiben, who had witnessed the devastating impact of plastic waste — cows eating it, harm to agriculture, and health risks from burning it in stoves.
After the French designer left, leaving behind some woven plastic sheets, the Khamir platform received an order for the material. Rajiben boldly volunteered, saying, "If you want, I can do this work, and I will." Thus began her plastic weaving journey at Khamir, where she continued for approximately three years.
Working with plastic waste involves technical challenges, especially weaving and stitching thin plastic (ideally below 40 microns), with stitches pulling out, material tearing, and needles breaking frequently.
Despite these difficulties, the woven plastic products are notably durable, lasting "six to ten years". "We have made everything from pencil pouches, laptop bags, tote bags, to table mats," says Rajiben.
In 2018, Rajiben had the opportunity to travel to London as part of the Khamir organization. Encouraged by the people she met there, Rajiben struck out on her own in 2019, with no capital, collecting plastic herself and working with three other women - Namaben, Jiviben, and her daughter, Pooja.
During this period, her family relied on her eldest son's modest Rs 6,000 monthly salary. The women initially focused on selling woven fabric, primarily back to Khamir.
Rajiben then partnered with Karigar Clinic from Ahmedabad for marketing and design expertise, in exchange for a share.
"Just then, the Covid-19 pandemic hit," says Rajiben. Rajiben and her small team adapted by weaving with other materials like old clothes and textile waste from their homes.
"We created new products like floor mats and covers for auto-rickshaws, which sold well. The lockdown period was also crucial for us in building our brand 'Rajiben' and documenting the company." Soon, Rajiben moved sales online, creating a special product called the "Local Gift Box," which received many orders and helped generate income during the lockdown.
The brand now involves around 100 women, excluding those in training. "We educate women about the harmful effects of plastic pollution, teaching them about the environmental damage and the danger to bovine animals, and encouraging them to bring us plastic instead of discarding it," says Rajiben.
