THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Black dammer, Marayoor sandal, sandalwood oil, lemon grass oil, herbal balm, Vetiver, Danthapala oil, handicrafts made of bamboo, these are some of forest produce that one can buy at New Theatre, one of the venues of the IFFK. Now, for those who wonder what these forest produce are doing at an IFFK venue, these are the goods that are being sold at the promotional Vanasree Eco Shop opened on the theatre premises by the Forest Department. Minister Ganesh Kumar, who handles the portfolios of Forest Resources and Cinema, is the man behind the unlikely merger of forest resources and cinema. The eco shop was inaugurated by Forest principal secretary Sajan Peter on Friday, coinciding with the opening of the festival. The shop instantly attracted the attention of the film buffs and also other government officials, including the policemen posted at the theatre for the conduct of the festival. Forest produce produced by tribals across the state, under the supervision of over 600 Vana Samrakshana Samithis and Eco Development Committees, are available at the shop. “Even though the shop has put for sale various forest produce, the emphasis is on the promotion of Sabari Jalam packaged drinking water, which is being brought out by the Department,” said principal chief conservator of Forest R Rajaraja Varma. Sabari Jalam packaged drinking water was launched a few years ago, with a novel cause of conservation of environment in mind, by using discarded plastic bottles. The initiative set an example to other packaged drinking water companies by paying a rupee each for the bottles that were returned to the company. A bottle of Sabari Jalam costs Rs 15. “It is not a market place that we are trying to achieve through such promotion, but to further spread the cause behind the packaged drinking water, which is currently available only in Sabarimala regions. We hope other leading packaged drinking water companies too follow our steps,” Rajaraja Varma added.
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