Organic Holi: Chhattisgarh women prepare gulal with flowers, turmeric & spinach

RAIPUR:  Chhattisgarh is increasingly preparing non-toxic and chemical-free herbal gulal colours, made available with the help of  gauthans (cattle shelter premises). Ahead of the festival of colours, the women groups engaged in various gauthans in Chhattisgarh state are making herbal gulal using various flowers they collect from temples, marriage ceremonies, flower cultivation fields and markets.

These groups generate additional source of income generated for themselves. The groups simultaneously use other ingredients such as beetroot, spinach, turmeric, pomegranate, marigold and their leaves to prepare chemical-free power solutions.

“While we are assisted on how to make colours (gulal), support is also provided for its packaging and sale”, said Ambika Sahu from Mahasamund district whose group made over 100 kg herbal gulal and all were sold. Owing to high demand for herbal gulal across Chhattisgarh besides the adjoining states of Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, the women at Jarwoy Gauthan in Raipur Municipal Corporation limit have joined hands to prepare eco-friendly chemical-free colou rs.

“Over 300 kg of herbal gulal prepared by self help groups of Jarwoy gauthan were sent last week to Sambalpur in Odisha. There remains a huge demand for such herbal gulal in various colours which are made in gauthan maintaining standards of hygiene”, said Sanjay Sharma, nodal officer of the gauthan. In yet another achievement to empower the women self-help groups (SHGs) in the state, over 25,000 kg of herbal gulal worth Rs 48 lakh prepared by them has been exported  to Europe through Mundra port in Gujarat last year.