Yesterday, a young Paruthi fan sent us this photo of his new pink kurta made of organic cotton and vegetable dyes. We wish to encourage all our Paruthi family to send it their photos and show off their clothes. Be proud of your Paruthi garments, flaunt them to the world!
Young Oriel from Bangalore, proudly shows off his Paruthi kurta
You can see other people's photos on the photo scroller on the right hand side of this blog, or visit our picasaweb online album. Would you like to flaunt your Paruthi clothes too? Please send us a small email
What is the cost of commercial cotton on our society? From farming to manufacturing, the entire cycle is resource intensive, polluting our land, water and air and harming the health and lives of people who are involved in the various processes. In our society's unsatiable thirst for cheaper goods and higher profits, our commercial cotton clothes manufacturing processes are accumulating a mountain of social and environmental debt that will eventually have to be paid by our children.
Organic cotton is increasingly talked about in the news. As our planet becomes more and more connected, awareness if growing on the need to be sustainable. From organic food, to organic clothes, from recycling to preserving, more and more people are being conscious that we need to act to save our environment, but it isn't just the environment that needs to be saved, its also our resources, which include our heritage, our culture, our know-how that has been established through centuries of humanity evolving in balance with nature. To preserve isn't the question any more, but rather how to ensure a large enough movement in our society so as to make this action sustainable, for it is pointless if it affects a minority. So what are you ready to do? Many of us cannot afford to transform our lives overnight by going organic, however we need to start somewhere. So why not start with an organic cotton wear in your wardrobe. There are so many manufacturers today offering organic cotton clothes. Pick one for yourself, and spread the message. Imagine if everyone in our country made this one small step, one billion of us buying an organic dress or shirt, the market demand would do the rest.
It is probably one of the best kept secrets of our industrial agriculture industry. In India, 5% of farm land is used for growing cotton and yet that 5% is responsible for over half (54%) of all pesticides used on farm lands in India. We love cotton, it is such a great fibre for clothes, but the environmental price we pay to satiate our demand is frighteningly high. There is a way out of this dilemma, but i requires a concerted effort from us consumers to put pressure on the industry to clean up its act. BT Cotton and other GM hybrids are the main culprit, which have seen their share of the market grow to over 80%. Next time you purchase a cotton garment try to get an organic piece. Have a few organic cotton clothes in your wardrobe to remind you of the need to change. Offer a piece to your loved ones, and spread the message.
