Bhubaneswar: Slum children makes Rakhi based on Chandrayaan-3 mission

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India]: Chandrayaan-3 has made history by becoming the first mission to soft-land on the lunar south pole, a region that has never been explored before and this historic feat is being celebrated across India in different ways.

The attraction of Chandrayaan -3 is not limited only to educated or rich people, it also attracts those children whose parents are bound to collect plastics from the street for their livelihood.

Ashanyen is an art school based in Odisha, where about 230 children have started making eco-friendly herbal Rakhi on Chandrayan -3. Each rakhi is sold for a minimum of Rs 50 and onwards.

Ratnakar Sahoo, Founder of Ashanyen said, “Every day, after the school is over, they come to our Aama Pathashala and prepare the Rakhi till the evening. Currently, more than 500 rakhis are made and sold out and the entire money is spent on their education.”

“Instead of begging and rag picking, they are leading dignified life. I would like to request everyone to please buy their handmade Rakhi and celebrate the victory of ISRO and help these children to live a dignified life,” he added.

For the last 10 years, Ashayen has been working with 230 numbers of street children in community learning centers at 5 locations in Bhubaneswar for their safety, education, development, and rehabilitation.

This year more than 70 children are seen from the centers of Aama Pathashala who are making beautiful Chandrayaan-3 Rakhi to respect the ISRO scientists and to memorize this historic joy of Indians and Indian scientists.

The children are using different types of waste material for making, especially cotton, wool, ice cream sticks, and hand-made clay using cornflour powder.

In addition to selling these in the market, the children are also displaying them in the housing colony in different parts of Bhubaneswar and people are appreciating them and demanding to buy them.