It’s a wonderful world when amaltas, semal flowers plop gently around the Delhiscape as red roses and marigolds bloom. Making the most of these varied flowers, Delhiites are geared up to welcome Holi with colours made from the Nature’s bounty.
“I’ve been taking my seven-year-old daughter to Sanjay Van in my neighbourhood and collecting fallen flowers, especially semal and hibiscus,” shares Monica Kapoor, resident of IP Extension and a homemaker, adding, “These flowers are a great solution to make natural gulaal. I’ve always had sensitive skin and don’t like the idea of the chemicals in Holi colours as they leave my skin irritable. So a few years ago, I started making gulaal at home and this year, the surplus of semal is sure to help have a great Holi.”
Kapoor collects these flowers and cleans, dries, and grinds them to a powder before sun drying the mixture. “This gives me the perfect red pigmentation. Plus, my daughter gets to learn about botany!” she gushes, as Divyanshu Asopa, an engineer by profession and advocate for sustainability, adds, “Many ancient techniques used herbs and flowers to make colours that were offered to deities. Some are even used in makeup. I thus decided to try using rose petals, palash (tesu), marigold and amaltas to make colours for Holi. And voila!”
Some like Meher Koli, a Gurugram-based teacher, is not just making but also selling small batches of skin-friendly floral colours. “Ever since I learned that gulaal can be made at home, I began collecting fallen flowers from the botanical gardens. At first, it was a hobby but now I actively collect large batches at this time of the year for family and friends as gulaal is the sweetest way to wish ‘Happy Holi’ to my loved ones.”
Which colour you want?
Red: Semal, rose, hibiscus
Orange: Palash (tesu), marigold
Yellow: Amaltas
Recipe for homemade Holi colours
1. Dry one cup of flowers and grind it into a fine powder. Keep this mixture under the sun for a day and your gulaal is ready.
OR
2. Dry one cup of flowers and boil them in half a cup of water alongwith one-fourth cup of cornstarch. Dry this mix under the sun for a day.
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