" Do me a favour, let's play organic holi"
You may ask me, why is there so much hulla bulla about organic colors because since so many years we have been using the regular colors and nothing seems to happen to us. The answer is simple but complicated to understand because we only believe in what we see as an immediate action and lack the ability to understand the long term impact. The truth however is that the regular colors are toxic and slowly and gradually these are causing damage to our skin, hair and even lungs. Look at the following facts about different colors used in holi:
Green: The copper sulphate used can cause temporary blindness and eye allergies
Silver: It may include aluminium bromide, a carcinogenic
Red: It may contain mercury sulphate, which can cause skin cancer, mental retardation or even paralysis
Purple: It may contain chromium iodide that can lead to various allergies and asthma
(source - Times of India)
When we look at the above facts, some of us may prefer to stay indoors and let this festival pass away. However, Holi is supposed to be a festival of joy, fun and happiness and we should not deprive ourselves from the good times. So, what can we do so as to avoid the usage of such harmful colors and yet make the festival memorable. The answer lies in using organic colors.
Organic colors are made from flowers and materials which are natural and therefore environment friendly and cause no damage to our body parts. Yes, we can make them at home as well. But through this blog post, I will not tell you how to make them at home because it is a tedious job and would require good amount of dedication and time of yours. And in our practical day to day life, now we even do not have enough time to make gujias at home, so making colors is a far fetched dream. However, if someone is up to the challenge, you can log on to http://www.holifestival.org/holi-natural-colors.html and learn about how to make colors at home.
For the rest of you (which would obviously be a majority of you), you can buy such colors from the market. If you cannot find them still, you can contact the Kriti team at 26027845 /26033088 or mail them at space.kriti@gmail.com or visit them at S-35 Tara Aptts, Alaknanda, New Delhi 19. The Kriti team is selling Rangdular colors which are completely chemical free. For more details, please log on to http://krititeam.blogspot.com/2010/02/celebrate-holi-with-natural-colours.html.
Another important contribution which you can make on this holi is to save water. By choosing to play holi with natural color, you would end up saving water automatically. The rationale is very easy to understand. When you use chemicals on your skin, you end up using much more water than required to clean your skin and body thereby leading to wastage. But when you use natural colors, they can go away with just a simple bath. So, without making any significant effort, you end up contributing to your environment. Also, use water balloons and water canon cautiously. I am not asking you not to use them, but may be there usage can just be a little minimized.
All said and done, it is your attitude and choices you make that would decide whether you contribute positively or negatively to the environment on this holi. So, go on and Make your own Choices.
