Vistaraku is Hyderabad-based Madhavi and Venugopal’s venture to bring back the tradition of eating on leaves
On a morning walk around their gated community in Gandipet, Hyderabad, Madhavi and her husband Venugopal Vippulancha were heartbroken to see a pile of disposable plates and cutlery dumped at a street corner. Adding to the misery of the sight was the non-biodegradable waste (milk sachets, disposable plates) that cows were feasting on. The couple started to think of an alternative option, keeping in mind the harmful effects of eating from low-cost plastic plates.
This led them to consider healthy and environment-friendly alternatives, like plates made from leaves of banana or palash trees. Venugopal says, “We call them vistarakulu in Telugu. They are basically dried leaves stitched together with thin dry twigs. Though they are still available, the usage has come…