Wish you a safe Holi!

For those who don’t know what is Holi, my friend can help. This is a special website solely dedicated to the festival (deserves a look).

Yes, Holi is the festival of colours. But, today, keeping apart all the traditional beliefs and customs, it has become a day to enjoy and celebrate in a unique way - a very colourful one.

But, as most of the festivals are being commercialzed, and Holi being no exception, there are a lot of dangers - other than the obvious ones - faced by the general public.

We all know of the dangers of using the “plastic bag-baloons” or even “rubber-baloons” especially when thrown from a great height or with extreme force.

But many of us seldom know facts such as these -

“Most Holi colours available in the market contain oxidized metals or industrial dyes mixed with engine oil which are dangerous for the skin. The black colour, for instance, comes from lead oxide, green from copper sulphate, silver from aluminium bromide and red from mercury sulphite. These chemicals can cause allergy, temporary blindness, renal failure, skin cancer, and even paralysis. It can even prove fatal. The dangerous side effects of Holi colours can ruin the spirit of the festival,” explained the president of the Delhi Medical Association, Anil Bansal as told to the Hindu.

Color BlackGreen . Silver Blue Red

Chemical Lead oxideCopper Sulphate. Aluminium Bromide Prussian Blue Mercury Sulphite

Health Effects Renal FailureEye Allergy, Puffiness and Temporary blindness. Carcinogenic Contract Dermatitis Highly toxic can cause skin cancer

(Source: Vatavaran)

Make You Own Colours!

The good news, however, is that it is possible to make simple natural colors in one’s own kitchen.
These simple recipes for making natural colours were also freely distributed as part of the Safe Festivals campaign, and children were taught how to make colours through lecture demonstrations in schools.

Here are a few things one can do at home:

• Mix haldi powder with besan for a lovely yellow.
• Slice a beetroot and soak in water for a deep pink.
• Boil Marigold or Tesu flowers in water for yellow colour. The other easy way to get a yellow liquid colour is to soak peels of pomegranate (Anar) overnight.
• For an orange red paste, henna leaves (mehndi) can be dried, powdered and mixed with water.

Of course it is not easy and most of us are lazy bums (including myself) who would rather sit at home. But, it is not worth missing the festival. Instead, we can buy these colours made by a handful of emerging industries.

List of Stores where Natural Colours are available

The biggest problem is the lack of availability of Herbal Colours. But be sure they are available, at least in the cities and towns. Where can you get Herbal Colours? These people can help.Wish you a happy and safe Holi !!! Do share your experiences…