A team comprising faculty and students representing the Centre for Research on Aquatic Resources (CRAR) of SD College, Alappuzha, and EichhoTech, a student start-up based in the college, visited Governor Arif Mohammed Khan at Raj Bhavan recently.
The team led by G. Nagendra Prabhu, head of the Post Graduate Department of Zoology and principal investigator at CRAR presented innovative products made from water hyacinth, a troublesome aquatic weed, to the Governor.
On the occasion, a new series of exquisite works named ‘water hyacinth dry stem art” conceived and created by Anoop Kumar V., founder and CEO of EichhoTech and Neenu S., an artist and sculptor associated with EichhoTech, was unveiled by the Governor. The series commemorates the spirit of nationalism and included national emblem and national leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, APJ Abdul Kalam and Mother Theresa.
Mr. Khan was also presented with designer gifts such as his portrait and the image of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya printed on hand-made paper from water hyacinth. Mr. Prabhu said the Governor had expressed the desire to procure office stationery made using hand-made water hyacinth paper by the students.
The Governor directed Mr. Prabhu to submit a detailed proposal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting the need to propagate the idea of management of water hyacinth through utilisation as an alternate livelihood programme.
Assistant professor P. Bindu, EichhoTech members Arya S., Lakshmi K. Babu and Arjun Lal M. P. were part of the team.
