This Holi Will Be Colorful With Natural Colors: Women of Self-Help Groups Making Herbal Gulal

Women of self-help groups engaged in the production of natural gulal

Raipur, February 2026 : This year, women from self-help groups are making the festival of colors—Holi—even more special. To celebrate Holi with natural colors, these women are preparing herbal gulal. In Gariaband district, ten active women from the Rakhi Mahila Gram Sangathan of village Sadhauli are setting an inspiring example of self-reliance and empowerment by producing herbal gulal under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (Bihan).

The women extract yellow color from palash flowers, red from beetroot, and green from spinach leaves, and mix these with arrowroot powder obtained from dried maize stalks to make natural gulal. No harmful chemical substances are used at all, making the herbal gulal safe for the skin and overall health.

These women from the Rakhi Mahila Gram Sangathan are not only making the Holi festival more natural and safe, but are also strengthening their livelihoods. Under the leadership of Vishnu Deo Sai, rural women in Chhattisgarh are writing a new story of self-reliance and independence. This initiative is proving to be a revolutionary step toward women’s empowerment in the state.

The District Collector and the Chief Executive Officer of the District Panchayat praised the efforts of these women and wished them a bright future, stating that women today are creating self-employment opportunities, becoming self-reliant, and establishing a distinct identity in society. PRP Meena Sahu shared that last year as well, the “Bihan” group sisters recorded sales of over ₹30,000 and earned a net profit of more than ₹10,000.

Discussions with the group members revealed that traditional, naturally made gulal not only keeps people healthy but is also environmentally friendly. At the same time, it is becoming a new source of income for women. Seeing the high demand for herbal gulal last year, the women have started preparing colors well in advance this year.

The women explained that the entire process of making gulal is completely natural. Flowers and leaves are used to prepare it, making it safe for the skin. Natural ingredients are used to create different colors—pink from beetroot and rose petals, yellow from turmeric and marigold flowers, green from spinach and henna leaves, blue from aparajita flowers, and red from tesu flowers.