COCONUT-LEAF SIPPING STRAWS THAT MULTIPLY HAPPINESS

If you think PhD English Professors don't look beyond the rim of their glasses, think again. Dr Saji Varghese (Christ University - Bangalore) exudes inspiration like none other! With a keen desire to improve the underprivileged sections of society and promote women empowerment, he wears his heart on his sleeve and shares his dream for a better India with Canta Dadlaney!

From teaching English to innovative manufacturing of eco-friendly straws, what inspired you?

I have been teaching English for almost 26 years, first in Maharashtra and now in Bangalore. A large section of our society lives in utter poverty and millions of children live in horribly squalid conditions. While I love my work, I was always haunted by the question of whether my work was making a difference to those around me. One evening, I happened to be near a railway station. I spotted a slum close to a massive drain and several little kids were playing close by. I realized I had to make a difference in the lives of these marginalized kids through my work, it was an epiphany for sure.

Were you confident about the straw products or did you just go by a gut feeling?

Millions of straws are used every single day across the globe and the very fact that the world was looking for an alternative to single-use plastic straws made me take the plunge headlong. I developed the straws from Agri-waste (fallen coconut leaves which are usually burnt in landfills and kitchens). A little research made me realize that we could make 150200 straws from a single coconut frond. I then understood that we could create employment opportunities for hundreds of women in rural areas not only in India but in other tropical countries as well.

Did you consult someone about the probability of making it a success?

No, I did not but I went about building a team and we worked together to establish an enterprise.

What were the initial steps? Did you consider the technical aspects?