Ankit Kumar Changawala from Veer Narmad South Gujarat College, lately patented a chair crafted from Bambusa bamboo, a regionally plentiful number of South Gujarat, to advertise using bamboo in furnishings making.

Within the wealthy tapestry of South Gujarat, bamboo stands out as one of many area’s prides. The realm is famend for its manufacturing of Bambusa Bamboo, a local species valued for its power and sturdiness. The tribals of the area take nice pleasure of their bamboo produce.

This number of bamboo is sturdy and supreme for changing into furnishings. Nonetheless, not many have totally harnessed the fabric’s potential.

Talking concerning the plant with The Higher India, Professor Ankit Kumar Changawala states, “Bamboo is the longer term.” 

Ankit is likely one of the few people who’ve made efforts to utilise the fabric to its fullest extent, lately acquiring a patent for a bamboo chair.

“The chair is sturdy, robust, and might last as long as 20 years. It’s the first bamboo chair to be patented in India,” he informs.

Sustainability meets design

Raised in Surat, Ankit had at all times needed to pursue design, however he lacked path.

“I used to be pursuing a diploma in civil engineering, thinking it would assist me in designing issues. Nonetheless, in the course of the course, I realised it was not one thing I needed to pursue. It was my professor’s brother, an inside designer, whose work impressed me and made me realise my true ardour,” says Ankit.

Confused about easy methods to pursue his curiosity, he determined to enrol in an inside design course at Veer Narmad South Gujarat College (VNSGU).

Presently, he serves as an assistant professor on the identical college. “Educating made me realise how a lot I take pleasure in it. I discovered my true calling in each designing and educating college students about it,” he says.

When requested about his introduction to bamboo and his concept of a bamboo chair, he recollects, “I used to be given the chance to attend a workshop in 2019 in Manipur. The World Bamboo Workshop was the primary symposium in India targeted on bamboo and its makes use of.”

The symposium profoundly modified Ankit’s notion of bamboo. Beforehand, there was merely plentiful vegetation within the area. “I may see its untapped potential and the way it was being wasted. Moreover, I found a group of bamboo artisans whose craft was fading,” he explains.

“The Kotwaliyas within the area are famend for his or her talent, however sadly, their artwork was being uncared for and dying,” he provides.

Ankit additionally started educating his college students about the advantages of utilizing Bambusa bamboo.

“Whereas I used to be within the course of of teaching extra folks and reaching out to craftsmen, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, disrupting every thing,” he says.

Throughout this era, Ankit encountered craftsmen struggling as a result of decline in tourism. “I discovered that the youthful generations of those craftsmen have been reluctant to proceed the custom as they noticed no future in bamboo,” he shares.

For Ankit, demonstrating the immense potential of bamboo grew to become essential. “I didn’t need them to desert their craft and migrate to cities in quest of jobs. So, I made a decision to create daily-use furnishings with fashionable designs to attraction to city shoppers,” he explains.

In 2021, Ankit, together with just a few college students and 4 native craftsmen, launched into creating sustainable but fashionable designs.

Sturdy, Sustainable and Trendy

Step one for Ankit was to grasp the bamboo. “As designers, we work with measurements however these conventional craftsmen have their very own means of working. We realised how the wooden in bamboo in the direction of the decrease finish was stronger and thicker than the higher finish,” he says.

To make the craftsmen snug and win their confidence, Ankit took his designs to their workshops. “I needed to make them really feel snug and work as a crew. They have been at their greatest type after they have been utilizing their very own conventional machines and supplies. I used to go to their workshops with a view to work on the chair,” he says.

Speaking about Bambusa bamboo, he says, “I selected Bambusa as a result of it has an amazing load-bearing capability. It’s long-lasting and durable sufficient for use for a very long time. The knots within the selection are very shut making it very robust.”

Moreover, the range can be abundantly out there within the space. “There are lots of corporations making furnishings from bamboo imported from totally different international locations. In case you go surfing and attempt to discover a easy piece of furnishings made out of bamboo, will probably be fairly costly. The reason being easy — as a result of they aren’t utilizing Indian bamboo,” he says.

Ankit provides that he used a local selection as a result of he needed to maintain the price of the chair inexpensive and low-cost.

“There is no such thing as a level in making a product that the lots can’t afford. It defeats the complete sustainability angle behind the product,” he says. “Gujarat authorities has additionally launched lots of schemes for the farmers to encourage them to develop the plant,” he says.

As for the price of funding the undertaking, he says, “I did it out of my very own pocket. I knew if I had gone out searching for funding then this could not have occurred. Traders would lack confidence within the concept because it was new again then,” he says.

It took Ankit practically two years to finish the design and make the chair.

“In 2023, I made a decision to go forward and get the chair patented. The principle cause behind it was to showcase the potential of native bamboo species to the world. As soon as my design bought patented, it generated a dialog amongst folks concerning the potential of bamboo,” he says.

Talking concerning the chair, Ankit explains, “The polish on the chair is finished utilizing pure oils. It could actually endure weights of greater than 150 kg, and the furnishings has additionally been handled to guard in opposition to any sort of bugs. The lifetime of the chair is as much as 20 years,” he says.

Ankit doesn’t wish to commercialise the chair. “I’ve obtained quite a few inquiries about whether or not I’m promoting these chairs. Nonetheless, my aim is just not revenue or loss. My intention is to lift consciousness and supply coaching,” he says. 

“Presently, I’m engaged on a proposal to current to my college to provoke a program the place people can come and discover ways to make chairs and collaborate with me to create extra furnishings. This strategy will enable me to coach craftsmen in producing sustainable but fashionable furnishings,” he explains.

To view Ankit’s patent, go to this hyperlink.

In case you want to get in contact with Ankit, You may attain him at 9879262737.

(Edited by Padmashree Pande; All photos credit score: Ankit)