Pink, red, blue, even golden - hues of Holi are aplenty. But not everyone gets a chance at a technicolour life. This year on Holi, you can make a difference in the lives of the underprivileged, even as you celebrate at home with your loved ones. There are various organisations across India, especially in the Capital, that have involved those from marginalised communities in making herbal colours, which can be purchased online
Antarkranti
Antarkranti, a Delhi-based organisation which caters to the reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners, involves them in skill training for employment. Many released convicts are trained and employed to make herbal and aromatic gulal. The income which they get through work is used to support their families and instils confidence and self worth in them.
In Delhi’s Bawana Industrial area, men make gulal while women package these at a setup in Mangolpuri Industrial area. For packaging, they use recycled paper and water soluble ink that is biodegradable.
To buy their products, click here: Antarkranti
Avacayam
Persons with disability in India face many challenges when looking to develop employable skills and in gaining meaningful employment. To help improve their social and motor skills, Avacayam, an NGO, helps train them in making herbal colours from temple flowers. Under Dr. Madhumita Puri’s leadership, the organisation has worked towards utilising temple flowers, resulting in recycling around 15 tons of flowers every month. Additionally, the act of separating petals and turning them into colour enhances motor skills leading to better hand-eye coordination and muscle function for those involved.
To buy their products, click here: Avacayam
Yatan
Much like Avacayam, Yatan, a Gurugram-based NGO run by Shalini Kapoor also recycles unused flowers from temples and wedding halls to make herbal gulal. The initiative had started out to create awareness on child literacy among the underprivileged. That’s when the mothers of young children approached Kapoor to help them find employment. This led to the idea of conceiving an initiative which helps young children learn more about their environment; one of the ways is by separating the petals from the flowers collected. The flowers are then handed over to women who make gulal out of them and package it.
To support their initiative, click here: Yatan
Craftizen Foundation
Under the label Petalists, Bengaluru-based NGO Craftizen Foundation is selling skin-friendly Holi colours made from discarded flowers collected from temples and marriage halls. The production is done by people with intellectual disabilities. Founded by Mayura Balasubramanian, the organisation aims to provide sustainable livelihoods to adults with disability and underprivileged women
To support their initiative, click here: Craftizen
