Gujarat's Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel Promotes Eco-Friendly Holi Celebrations
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Gandhinagar, March 3 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel, conveyed his best wishes to the public on the vibrant occasion of Holi-Dhuleti and emphasized the importance of celebrating in a way that protects our environment.
In his festival message, he stated: "Holi should bring joy, prosperity, and excitement into people's lives."
He characterized Holi as a celebration representing the triumph of truth over falsehood and noted, "It promotes the spirit of affection, reconciliation, and strengthens social unity."
Patel further encouraged the community to celebrate together while prioritizing environmental conservation.
In addition to the Chief Minister's appeal, a women's self-help group from Ahmedabad is gaining recognition for advocating chemical-free Holi festivities by crafting natural colors.
Spearheaded by Surbhiben, the group has harmonized traditional methods with simple scientific techniques to create gulal from organic ingredients.
The colors are entirely sourced from natural materials, with arrowroot flour as the foundation. For the red hue, crushed rose petals and beetroot juice are blended with the flour.
The yellow color comes from marigold and amaltas flowers mixed with a hint of turmeric.
A green shade is produced using spinach and moringa leaves, with optional food coloring.
For saffron tones, tesu flowers are boiled, and the resulting colored water is utilized.
The blue color is derived from aparajita flowers combined with food dye. This mixture is processed into a pulp, dried, ground, and then sifted to yield a fine gulal powder.
Last year, the group successfully sold approximately 60 to 70 kilograms of these natural colors, generating more than Rs 10,000.
Many residential societies placed bulk orders of about five kilograms each for group celebrations.
This year, the women have again crafted natural colors, packaging them into 100-gram units priced at Rs 50 each, anticipating similar financial success.
This initiative has not only provided the group with additional income but also promotes chemical-free alternatives for Holi-Dhuleti.