Natural Colours of Holi

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2009-02-18
PANAJI- With eco friendliness being the alternative way of life for conscious consumers today, ‘Earthworm’ in collaboration with ‘eCoexist’ making a movie to promote eco friendly natural Holi colours in Goa for this Holi festival.
“We are making an attempt to make this Holi more health conscious to the public. It is just a sort of raising awareness about the importance of environment,” Nirmal Kulkarni, an environmentalist and member of ‘Earthworm’ said.
People are anxiously waiting for Holi, which will begin from March 11. “ Colours that are used for Holi are harmful for the environment as well as for the health,” he added, which was why he and his friend thought of promoting ‘Rang Dulaar’ Natural Holi colours in the state.
The ‘Rang Dulaar’ Natural Holi colours were born out of a campaign by Kalpavriksh, Pune to raise awareness and provide an alternative to the toxic colours used during the Rangapanchami or Holi festival celebrated across the country.
Kulkarni further added that the colours are made by a group of women farmers that work with the Malnad Seed Collective in Karnataka and are then packaged by women prisoners of the Yerawada Central Prison, Pune. “The colours will help both groups to earn a supplemental income and most importantly it will also help in spreading the message of an eco friendly and toxic free Holi,” he said.
Made from a base of turmeric and devoid of any toxic chemicals, these colours are hundred per cent non-polluting and wash off easily. “Available in five colours, Red, Yellow, Orange, Green and Black these eco colours are soft on the skin and possess an aroma of turmeric too,” he explained.
After marketing this colours throughout the country, ‘eCoexist’, an enterprise whose objective is to encourage green initiatives in Indian festivals, are now promoting this in Goa by Earthworm, a new eco store that aims to promote green consumerism in the state.
“We have not yet approached to government. Our main aim is to see the response of the public towards it, this year and then we might come forward with more such products,” Kulkarni said. He also demanded that the ‘Rang Dulaar’ colours should be welcomed by all as it would cause minimal impact on the users as well as on the environment as they are totally made from natural material and thus are soil and plant friendly unlike the commercial Holi colors available in the market.
Talking on this issue the Director of Science, Technology and Environment Mr Micheal D’Souza said that this is a very good attempt made by the eco store and we will provide full support. “These natural colours which are extracted from the fruits and vegetables are very good for skin as well as eco friendly,” Mr D’Souza said.
“None of the organisation has approached to us regarding this,” he added.
The ‘Rang Dulaar’ Natural Holi colors are available on prior orders in packs of 250 gm
and 500 gm.