Ensure Safe Holi for your loved ones with natural colours

The festival of Holi is just a couple of days away and people have been preparing for the festival colours. It's fun to play holi with your friends but do take care of your skin and use natural colours to play a safe holi. In order to ensure safe Holi, Enviro Vigil has come up with workshops wherein they train people to make natural colour. Various centers have been put up in Thane from where one can buy natural colours.

Shreelata Menon who has been working with Enviro Vigil says, " Enviro Vigil has used different strategies to help conserve the environment and one of the most effective ways to bring about an attitudinal change has been to help celebrate the Indian festivals in a more environment friendly way and Holi is one among them."

Talking about environment friendly colours, Shreelata says, "Drying has been a traditional method which we have been following for long and we use the same method while preparing these colours."

Saptarangi colours are manufactured from various flowers, vegetables, fruits and seeds. Special care is taken during the process of sun drying of fruits, vegetables and flowers in order to obtain products of desired quantity and colour. Simultaneously precautions are taken to inactivate some enzymes, reduce microbial load and impart desired texture to the product. Some of the process varies for different vegetables, flowers, fruits and seeds. Thus they convert the perishable goods into durable products.

Shreelata says, "The conventional colours available in market contain poisonous chemicals like metal oxide, lead oxide, copper sulphate, aluminum bromide, copper, mercury, toxic asbestos and silica dust. As these harsh chemicals are used in colours there is a possibility of eye and skin problem. One may also develop allergy due to usage of these colours. The natural colours have been tested and approved by FDA approved lab and certified by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. Therefore saptarangi colours do not harm you and nature."

Various other colours are:
Green -made using spinach and other green vegetables
Pink - beetroot and other herbs
Rani - beetroot
Yellow- combination of herbs and flowers
Orange - combination of different seeds and flowers
Violet - combination of beetroot, fruits and flowers

For residents who are interested to attend the workshop about how to make natural colours at home can get first hand training by the volunteers of 'Paryavaran Dakshta Manch' at Sharda Mandir 4th floor Marathi Library near Gokhale Road. The works shop till March 15. from 5 to 6 pm. For more details about the workshop one can also call at 25380648 and natural colours are also available at Green shoppee, Dadoji Kondev Stadium Khartan Road Thane.