Bamboo water bottles made in Tripura find many takers including actress Raveena Tandon

The bottles are manually made by placing a copper bottle, or a thermostat flask, inside columns of bamboo that grows in abundance in the border state.

Tripura has introduced its first handmade and organic bamboo water bottles, which have been widely appreciated, and gained more popularity after actress Raveena Tandon placed an order for the ethnic product.

Villagers erect a bamboo structure (bamboo porcupines) on the bank of Dihing River to check erosion at Naharkatia under Dibrugarh district of Assam.(PTI/ Representative image)

The bottles are manually made by placing a copper bottle, or a thermostat flask, inside columns of bamboo that grows in abundance in the border state.

Local artisans from West Tripura and Khowai districts have manufactured these products manually over the past six months.

Herbal products such as turmeric and neem are used to treat these bottles, instead of the usual bleaching powder, which have struck a chord with the consumers because of their organic appeal amid the ecologically-fresh city slickers.

Last year, the Tripura government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the New Delhi-based National Centre for Design and Product Development (NCDPD) for the promotion of bamboo products.

“ Tripura is proud to introduce a variety of unique and eco-friendly handcrafted bamboo made bottles. The bottles made by the bamboo artisans of the state are being developed by TRPC (Tripura Rehabilitation Plantation Corporation) in collaboration with BCDI (Bamboo & Cane Development Institute) and FRCLE (Forest Research Centre for Livelihood Extension) in Tripura. The products are being promoted under PMVDY (Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana) and NBM (National Bamboo Mission) schemes. This industry can create huge employment and livelihood opportunity to thousands of artisans of the state,” Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb had tweeted three days ago.

“ It’s a unique product, as water is not directly stored in these bottles. Each bottle costs Rs1,200,” Prasada Rao Vaddarapu, chairperson, TRPC, told media persons.

Vaddarapu is the brain behind designing the product.

Tandon’s was among the first batch of the order that was shipped on Monday, Vaddarapu said.

Soon, other consignments will find their way to Delhi, Mumbai, some European nations and the United States of America (USA), as the ethnic product seeks to put the tiny north-eastern state on the global map.