Herbal Gulal (Abiir) made from natural floral dye

Released on = October 21, 2005, 7:09 am

Press Release Author = Ms. Papita Saha

Industry = Environment

Press Release Summary = Holi is a festival in India which begins on Duwadashi - on the twelfth day of the waxing moon of the month of Phalgun. Phalgun arrives with the promise of warm days and new life - Spring is the season of rejuvenation and rebirth. Holi comes alive with the colours of 'gulal'. These gulal are made from Chemical dye. Some of these chemical dyes are toxic, create allergic reaction to
skin. These chemical dye-based colours are prepared from toxic dyes such as 'Auramine (yellow), Malachite (green), Rodamine (orange), Methylene (blue) and a blend of these colours which are harmful chemicals and beside it, this gulal also contain sand, starch and salts which causes irritation in the eyes, skin allergies and respiratory diseases. The starch used to make gulal are wasted quality, and so
it also creates problem to human health.

Press Release Body = Holi is a festival in India which begins on Duwadashi - on the twelfth day of the waxing moon of the month of Phalgun. Phalgun arrives with the promise of warm days and new life - Spring is the season of rejuvenation and rebirth. Holi comes alive with the colours of 'gulal'. These gulal are made from Chemical dye. Some of these chemical dyes are toxic, create allergic reaction to
skin. These chemical dye-based colours are prepared from toxic dyes such as 'Auramine (yellow), Malachite (green), Rodamine (orange), Methylene (blue) and a blend of these colours which are harmful chemicals and beside it, this gulal also contain sand, starch and salts which causes irritation in the eyes, skin allergies and respiratory diseases. The starch used to make gulal are wasted quality, and so
it also creates problem to human health.

Scientist from the Industrial Toxicology Research Centre (ITRC) claimed that the toxicity of synthetic colours could lead to problems like cancer of the liver and urinary bladder, anaemia, allergies, disturbed organ functioning and growth inhibition. Due to this problem of Chemical Gulal on our body and eyes have forced us to do a turn-about to the natural colors. A process is going at laboratory scale as well as in a pilot plant at Chemical Engineering Department, Jadavpur University, Kolkata with collaboration of Moromi (a NGO) where in spite of chemical dye, floral dye are used. Flowers like Marigold, China rose, Butterfly Pea, Flame of the Forest etc are used for the extraction of colourful dye. These dyes are non-toxic, do not cause any harm to skin or to the face. The production of herbal gulal is also very easy. The floral dye are extracted from colourful flowers by aqueous extraction process of fixed flower – water ratio. Then this dye is mixed with powder and a fixed amount of starch. The cost of the production is not so high and the procedure is too easy so that village unemployed people also can earned money for their survival. Depending on it a Large scale Industry also can set up.

Web Site = http://geocities.com/kusumika_project

Contact Details = Ms. Papita Saha.
C/O, Amar Ch Saha.
87, M.B.Road, Nimta Bazar, Kolkata - 700049. West bengal.
E-mail: papitasaha@yahoo.co.in.