Barmer: The women of Balaji Rajivika Self-Help Group in Rajasthan’s Barmer started making herbal gulal (colour) from natural products for chemical-free Holi. These women have been making herbal gulal for the past three years. Considering the demand for this gulal in the market, they started making the gulal a month before Holi.
They use flowers and vegetables to make the herbal colours. Hero Prajapat, an entrepreneur, who makes the herbal colour, said, “Arrowroot flour is used in making herbal gulal. Making herbal gulal is a long process and it takes time to prepare it. For this, first, we bring flowers from the market and after washing them, they are dried in the sun. After this, the flowers are crushed with a mixer. Then the paste is mixed with arrowroot flour. Then we let it dry again."
Prajapat further stated that apart from fragrant flowers like marigolds and roses, natural things like beetroot, pomegranate, tomato, spinach, and neem leaves are also used in making this gulal. It is made completely without the use of any chemicals. Since it is made from flowers and vegetables, it is not at all harmful to the skin.
Indu Prajapat, another woman, said, “We have been preparing herbal gulal for the last three years. Now the demand for this gulal has increased. The price is not equivalent to the amount of hard work put in, but still, a good amount of sales are made. Four to five days before Holi, we will set up a stall in the market and sell herbal colours.”
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