Holi is perhaps one of the most enjoyable festivals but also one that can have serious repercussions. Holi colours are nasty and go beyond irritating our skin or leaving irrevocable stains on our surroundings — the toxic colours aren’t degradable or easily washable. Besides, they lead to water wastage and pollute air and water. Holika Dahan is a ritual that many look forward to, but in this day and age, it’s worth being aware that it contributes to deforestation. As per Tunza Eco Generation’s report, during Holi, around 30,000 bonfires occur annually. Each bonfire burns about 100 kilograms of wood, exacerbating the current climatic conditions.
And there’s more. Holi colours don’t only induce asthma or skin allergies; they cause severe health concerns to our furry pets too. Surely the onus is on us to ensure our pets are free from the consequences of our celebrations. But we’re not here to make the festival gloomy — we’re here to offer eco-friendly alternatives!
The most obvious way to make Holi green is by avoiding bonfires and chemical-laden colours. If you’re up for a quick DIY project, you can make natural colours at home using fresh flowers, sandalwood, and turmeric. For instance, check out this video to whip up colours using cornstarch and food colours. Got no time? Fret not — you can always rely on homegrown brands!
5 Indian Brands To Shop from this Holi
Source: 21 Fools
21 Fools: Trust 21 Fools to come up with something thoughtful and creative for every festival. While it’s a great place for you to shop for sustainable gifts, something fun is in store for Holi too. They’ve introduced four types of gift hampers that include handmade herbal colours made from 100 per cent natural ingredients, that are safe for babies and folks with sensitive skin. What’s great is that these gulaals are made using food-grade colours by forest inhabitants of Rajasthan.
But that’s not it all — these hampers also come with seed balls, thandai, and gujiya, making them great gifting choices. We’re definitely reusing the box they come packed in.
Source: Phool
Phool: We’re sure Phool has been popular even before Alia Bhatt started gushing about it. A brand born out of immense love and consideration for the environment, Phool collects floral waste to craft its entire product range. For Holi too, they’ve launched 100 per cent natural gulaal verified by Ecocert Greenlife as per COSMOS standard. The making of these colours is entirely ethical and handmade — the ingredients including the corn starch are sourced from farmers.
The Phool Natural Gulaal set offers four colours (both skin-friendly and lab-tested), a bottle of premium thandai from Varanasi, and a greeting card from the women who made these colours. All of this comes packed in a beautiful reusable box!
Source: Gulmeher
Gulmeher: Gulmeher is an eco-friendly brand that prioritises women empowerment and environmental sustainability. Offering social upliftment and livelihood programs, Gulmeher transforms rag pickers into artisans. They have upskilled about 120 women as skilled artisans and offered employment to about 35 women in their East Ghazipur centre in Delhi. Apart from making a difference in the lives of women from lower economic strata, Gulmeher is particular about the environment too. No wonder they recycle paper and floral waste to handcraft their products.
Gulmeher has a wide range of products for Holi such as colours and gift boxes. Their Rangon ka Pitaara caught our eye because it’s packed in a reusable gift box that comes with colours in potli bags, thandai mixes, and a handmade notecard. You can take a pick from their colour options — potli bags or the ones packed in tennis ball cans. All the colours are IIRT Certified and 100 per cent safe. Handcrafted from the remnants of flowers, leaves, and vegetables, they are natural and don’t irritate your skin too.
Source: Nirmalaya
Nirmalaya: Nirmalaya’s philosophy is primarily tied to empowering women and reducing environmental effects. They recycle floral waste collected from temples by ensuring waste isn’t dumped into the rivers. Certified by CSIR-CIMAP (Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, Lucknow) — Nirmalaya recycles waste eco-friendly and follows a chemical-free process throughout its production.
We’re loving everything they’ve introduced for Holi, but we’re eyeing the Premium Holi Box with Thandai. As the name suggests, it comes with organic colours (IIRT certified), a thandai premix, and tikka packed in a reusable wooden box. Making it quite Instagram-worthy, you can send these gift boxes to friends and family in other cities too. If you’re interested in picking just colours, go for their organic gulaals made from natural and safe ingredients.
Source: Petalists
Petalists by Craftizen Foundation: As is now well known, floral waste is a significant contributor to environmental pollution, owing to which several Indian brands and social enterprises are devising recycling methods to reduce its pollution. Craftizen Foundation’s Petalists is one such initiative! Craftizen has been collecting floral waste from temples and wedding halls to create income for the intellectually disabled. Petalists’ colours are fully natural and take very little water to clean up later. The packaging is thoughtful and is hand-sketched by the in-house team to depict the efforts of the artisans who crafted these colours.
Whether you’re keen on buying individual colours or combo packs — Petalists is retailing online on Craftizen, SustainKart, and Okhai.
Now that we’ve sorted colours and all things fun, we suggest opting for handmade goodness or small businesses if you’re contemplating thoughtful gifts.
Now that we’ve sorted colours and all things fun, we suggest opting for handmade goodness or small businesses if you’re contemplating thoughtful gifts.
We recommend: This Festive Season, Think Good Gifts
And while we’re at it, it’s ideal to avoid pichkaris and any plastic products that we may not use again. But if you’ve got them lying around at home, go ahead and use them. There’s no need to compromise on the fun around festivals — there are environmental-friendly alternatives that you can choose. On that note, we wish you a happy and responsible Holi!
