Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi, March 14: With the festival of colours round the corner, and the increasing demand for herbal colours, the women of Sakhi Mandal are making herbal gulal for Holi. Holi is a festival of social harmony and brotherhood; however, chemical-induced colours often create skin issues for men, women alike. The organic gulal, however, is free of chemicals and is prepared from different types of natural products including flowers by the rural women.
The women of Sakhi Mandals of Hazaribagh, Giridih and Dhanbad have prepared herbal and chemical free Gulal in advance for Holi. In addition, women are professionally packaging and marketing these gulals under the brand Palash.
Notably, the Rural Development department and the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) is providing chemical free natural gulal to the state residents through the efforts of rural women of Sakhi Mandals. According to the women of Sakhi Mandal, this gulal is beneficial for the skin as no harmful or artificial material of any kind is used in its making. The natural herbal gulal is prepared through forest produce including fruits, leaves and flowers and can be purchased from Palash Mart located in all the districts of the state. For instance, Green Palak leaf is used for the green colour, while roses are for pink, palash and marigold flowers for yellow and saffron colour, beet for red, and sandalwood for other colours. Palash brand natural gulal is available for sale in Ranchi for just Rs 30 at Palash Mart, Hehal; Palash special Holi counter at Project Building, FFP building and at Piska chowk counter.
Pushpa Kushwaha of Darudih village of Daru block, who is a member of Puja Mahila group, says that she started manufacturing natural gulal last year, as it was in great demand. “This year we are manufacturing organic gulal in four colours including yellow, pink, green and red,” she said. On an average, women are able to earn around Rs 25,000 per season. Another woman Baljeet Kaur, associated with the production of herbal gulal in Govindpur, Dhanbad, says that till now they have together produced about one and a half quintals of Herbal Gulal. “I have earned about 10 thousand in a week,” she added.
