The Hindu Business Line : Safer Holi with the goodness of nature

Holi revellers who cringe at the thought of being doused with large amounts of chemicals used to manufacture the colours can now look forward to a safer celebration with environmental groups Kalpavriksha, Pune and Toxics Link, Mumbai, joining hands to launch a range of natural colours made from flowers.

These organisations, which have been campaigning for a less harmful way to celebrate such occasions, has roped in women farmers groups from the Malnad Seeds Exchange and Home Gardens Collective, Sirsi, Karnataka and children from the Pune-based Asha school for the disabled, to help them manufacture colours with the goodness of nature in them.

And says Manisha Sheth Gutman, who spearheads the Kalpavriksha, "the process of change has already begun with parents and even children now opting to play holi with natural colours."

Over the years a toxic cocktail of chemicals, including lead oxide, copper sulphate and mercury sulphite, among others are used for the colours, which leads to ailments ranging from allergies, temporary blindness to contract dermatitis and even skin cancer.

Environmental activists point out that while it is simple to make natural colours with ingredients from the kitchen and the garden, families neither have the time nor the initiative to take this up, which is why they look for those who could manufacture natural colours for them.

The result is Rang Dulaar, a range of colours made by women's groups in Karnataka using flowers such as hibiscus and leaves such as glyricidea, mint and turmeric. Kalpavriksha has set out on a project in Pune's army school of disabled children who collect flowers discarded by temples and five star hotels.

According to Gutman, the biggest hurdle to the safe colours campaign is the price of the product.

The colours produced by the farmers' groups retail at Rs 30-35 for 200 gm, while the Pune projects colours quote a slightly higher tag of Rs 15 for 50 gm because they are made purely from dried flowers. The colours are available at Bombay Stores, Spencers and a number of shops stocking alternative merchandise, including Pune's Either Or.