Moozhikulam Sala echoes ethos of organic living through participation in Atham procession

Eco-friendly Atham procession showcases products made from coconut leaves, promoting green protocol in events and daily life.

A woman dressed up in trousers and shirts and spotting a hat, ear rings, a necklace, and even a vanity bag, all made up of coconut leaves, was perhaps the loudest exhortation for embracing a green protocol in life during the age of drastic climate change in this year’s Atham pageantry.

Moozhikulam Sala, which professes an eco-friendly living through its organic campus in Ernakulam, chose the Atham procession to showcase the products of its ‘Grameena Kala Kendram’, an initiative funded jointly by the Rural Arts Hub of the Central government and the Aranmula Vasthuvidya Gurukulam of the State Cultural department.

Incidentally, the Atham procession was the first major public function to be attended by the Grameena Kala Kendram since its formation around a year ago. Its participation was in sync with the Thripunithura municipality’s decision to conduct this year’s Atham procession in total compliance with the green protocol.

“The idea was to convey the message that adopting the green protocol in all walks of life is possible. That anything can be made using palm and coconut leaves was evident from a variety of products like toys, ornaments, decorative items, and umbrellas we displayed at the procession,” said T.R. Premkumar, coordinator of Grameena Kala Kendram.

The organisation has so far decked up six events - three cultural programmes, two marriages, and a temple function - using completely organic materials without compromising on the charm and aesthetics associated with conventional decoration done by bigger event management companies.

The 20-member group of Grameena Kala Kendram had undergone 45 days of training for which they were paid ₹380 per day, while the master trainer, John Baby, was paid ₹1,500 a day.

The organisation was among 48 such groups across the State similarly engaged in eco-friendly activities. The government supports these groups, which have 10 to 20 members, by helping them identify their talents, providing training and funding, and assisting them in finding markets and facilitating sales, including through online platforms.