Till a month ago Shashikanth Korravath was another civil servant, going with the flow of life and preparing for his impending wedding. Today, he is a hero, being hailed as a champion of the environment, due to an idea, to send eco-friendly invitation cards for his marriage – cards that grow into plants. Each card has three seeds and even the envelop has three more. His wedding, therefore, is set to spawn a huge number of plants, each reminding the invitees of his wedding celebrations for years to come.
Besides sending ‘Green Invitation’ to family and friends, Mr. Korravath, a native of Shadnagar in Telangana, decided to make the entire wedding plastic-free. He seems to have given the whole idea a deep thought and planned everything accordingly. He is set to get married to Ms. Swapna on 28 November 2020.
FLOWERS AND VEGETABLES
Asked the trigger behind going for an eco-friendly wedding, Mr. Korravath told Indian Masterminds, “When somebody sends invitation cards on his wedding, the recipient doesn’t have any responsibility other than just attending the function. Therefore, I thought that I will give unique biodegradable wedding cards which when torn into pieces and sown, will grow into three different flower plants – Rosegold, Chrysanthemum, and Lily.”
Not only the card but even the envelope turns into three different vegetable plants which are green chili, tomato, and ladyfinger. That is why he has asked the recipients – by printing at the back of the card – to share with him the state of the plants after a month.
His idea was put into practice by a startup called Plantables in Agra. He said, “Finally after a lot of discussions and exchanging ideas they made the card which suited me as I took care of every minute detail mentioned on the card.”
MESSAGE IN THREE LANGUAGES
Mr. Korravath has sought to ensure that his message reaches all invitees. That is why he got is printed in three languages – Telugu, English, and Hindi. The English slogan reads, ‘Save Nature, Save Life’. In Hindi, it says ‘Ek Kadam Swachata Ki Aur’ – a step towards a clean environment. The Telugu message means ‘Protect the plants and they will protect you.’
The card has been made for a minimal cost of Rs 200 and is serving the purpose wholly. The card initiative has received alot of praise from all quarters – from peers, seniors, politicians, and the media.
PRAISE FROM TOP BUREAUCRATS
The young officer was lauded by many officers and even the Chief Minister of Telangana who was amazed to see this unique initiative.
In a tweet, Cyberabad Police shared a photo of Mr. VC Sajjanar IPS, Commissioner, receiving the invitation card from the young officer. The tweet read, “Top Bureaucrat Shashikanth Korravath, an Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) Officer of 2018 batch Going Eco-Friendly wedding cards for his marriage. Mr. VC Sajjanar, IPS amazed by the initiative appreciated the thought process of the young bureaucrat.”
Hari Chandana an IAS officer from Telangana tweeted, “This is such a cool idea. Plantable wedding cards!!!Best wishes to the couple.”
The officer was also appreciated by Santosh Kumar J, MP Rajya Sabha as he tweeted, “Change is inevitable. If an IAS thinks in such a positive way, it results in an effective manner. I congratulate Shashikanth, IRTS who has come up with a unique idea of invitation cards that have plantable seeds in it. Wish them bundles of joy.”
PLASTIC-FREE WEDDING
Besides the green invitation card, Mr. Korravath tried to make minimal use of plastic. He got the plastic plates and glasses replaced with wooden cutlery, paper cups, and leaf plates. However, due to the Covid pandemic, water bottles could not be junked as water sharing is not allowed in these circumstances. He said, “I have spoken to a recycler to get all the plastic used in the wedding, recycled.”
BE THE CHANGE WITHIN YOURSELF
Mr. Shashikanth Korravath told Indian Masterminds, “What I always believe is that, “you must be the change you wish to see in the world” as Gandhiji said. I am an ardent nature lover since my childhood and all kinds of pollution has always bothered me. I always used to think – what can I do to reduce it?”
He added, “As marriage is said to be a new beginning of life, I thought I would make this wedding eco-friendly and be a part of securing the environment rather going against it. Therefore, all the things opted for the wedding are eco-friendly and will be giving least harm to the environment.”
As he will soon get an independent charge after his training period, he said he will look forward to making Indian Railways greener.
