GUWAHATI, May 9 - Guwahati-based students� startup Earth Craft�s founder Rupankar Bhattacharjee has designed a foldable japi in a bid to make it ready for global outreach.
The 22-year-old is also a member of Help Earth, an NGO focusing on biodiversity conservation. It encouraged him to work on his idea and design the Assamese traditional japi in an innovative way.
�I meet many people, be it from India or abroad, who express the desire to take a japi home. They can�t do so because of its large size and the high probability of getting damaged when put into bags. This was the main motivation behind the designing of a damage-proof japi, which can be folded and packed in a bag easily,� Rupankar said.
�The japi is often gifted to people as a token of love, expressing the warmth of Assamese hospitality. The folding japi will solve the problem,� he said.
�Our team is working to make foldable japis using the same items used in making the traditional japi. However, it can be made with any material, provided it is made, piece by piece, to fit onto the base plate designed to be folded,� he said.
The traditional japi is made of bamboo and leaves of tokou, a local variety of palm, decorated with pieces of colourful, patterned cloth.
