Play Holi … Naturally !

FEATURE ARTICLE Play Holi … Naturally !

Dipanjan Ghosh

During application on the face, fine colour particles containing mercury may get inhaled [Photo: Moutushi Sarkar]

OLI is celebrated as the festival of harvest and because of this His also known as ‘Vasant Mahotsava’. In ancient times, Holi was meant for fun, it was safe too. Natural coloured extracts from seasonal herbs or petals of flowers were used. For instance, the petals of ‘tesu’ or ‘palash’ were widely used to make gulal. No chemicals were used to make those colours. But things have changed with Aluminium bromide present in silver colour is a human carcinogen [Photo: Moutushi Sarkar] time. The use of harmless and eco-friendly colours has been abandoned oxidised heavy metals, such as cadmium, The base or solvent forms the and replaced with synthetic dyes, most chromium, iron, lead, mercury, nickel, type and texture of the colours. For of which contain harsh chemicals along zinc, etc., or toxic coal tar dyes or instance, sand, starch, asbestos, mica, with heavy metals, glass, engine oil, azo dyes, such as auramine (yellow), silica, chalk powders and/or powdered and so on. malachite (green), rhodamine (orange), glass are used as base in making gulal. Usually, four types of chemical methylene (blue) and others are used as Though gulal is considered as the colours are used to celebrate Holi – gulal, colourants. Various inorganic coloured mildest and harmless colour used in dry powdered colour, pastes, and water salts such as copper sulphate (green), Holi, practically it is not true. Often, colour. Each chemical colour has two lead oxide (black), mercury sulphite engine oil or other inferior quality oil components – a colourant and a base (red), chromium iodide (purple), is used in making colour pastes. In or solvent. aluminium bromide (silver), etc. are developing the liquid colour, water or The colourant part is responsible also used as colourants to develop dry aqueous alcohol are used as solvent to for developing the colour. Several powdered colours. dissolve dry powdered colour.

44 | Science Reporter | March 2019 Holi colours and their toxic effects on human body

Constituents Category Effects on body of Chemical Colour Lead Oxide Inorganic Anaemia, headache, abdominal Colourant pain, joint discomfort and old age osteoporosis. Mercury Inorganic Headache, increased heart rate, Sulphite Colourant itching, tremors, falling blood pressure, and forgetfulness. Copper Inorganic Itching, redness or swelling of Sulphate Colourant the eye and even temporary or permanent blindness. Chromium Inorganic Severe allergy or induction Iodide Colourant of bronchial asthma in a hypersensitive person. Aluminium Inorganic Human carcinogen. Bromide Colourant

Auramine Organic Irritation in mouth, throat and Colourant stomach; eye irritation and blurred vision, skin itching and redness; mutagenesis and growth impairment. Malachite Organic Genotoxic carcinogen, causes Colourant damage to bones, eyes and lungs.

Rhodamine Organic Cancer and genetic disorders as Colourant well as degenerative changes in liver, spleen, kidney and urinary bladder. Gentian Violet Liquid Skin discolouration, dermatitis, Colour skin allergy or irritation of the mucous membrane. Asbestos Base Cancer causing material. A variety of gulals made from plant sources Additive which are devised by the scientists of CSIR-NBRI [Photo: Adhish Goswami] Silica and Base Damage eyes and skin. Powdered Additive In all the chemical colours, the Glass colourant part either contains a heavy Engine Oil Solvent Skin allergy, itching or even metal or some inorganic as well as temporary blindness. organic dyes. All of these materials are not only toxic but may also be carcinogenic. yellow colour. Mehendi and other dried certain ailments most likely pox, viral leaves are used to produce green colour; fever and cold. The playful pouring red sandalwood powder extract has been Natural Colours and throwing of coloured powders or used to produce shades of red. Bark of gulals made from natural sources such as Holi can be celebrated with natural few tree species provide brown colour colours. Skin-friendly and washable kumkum, kesar, haldi, chandan, besan, while beet roots produce magenta shade. natural plant-derived colours are neem, mehendi, bel, tesu, rajnigandha, everywhere in our surroundings. The spring season, during which the and others have a healing effect on the Flowers of kesula and gainda produce weather changes, is believed to cause human body.

March 2019 | Science Reporter | 45 Make Natural Colours at Home

(a) (b) Blue colour extracted from Butterfly Fruits of Kamala or Kumkum (a) Amaltas or Indian Laburnum (Cassia fistula) and (b) Gainda or Pea (Clitoria ternatea) is equally Flowers of Palita Madaar Marigold (Tagetes erecta) colourful as chemical dyes (Erythrina indica)

YELLOW Wet Colour: Crush the berries of the indigo (Indigofera Dry Colour: Two teaspoons of ordinary haldi (Curcuma tinctoria) plant and add to water for desired colour longa) or kasturi haldi (C. aromatica) can be mixed with strength. In some indigo species the leaves when boiled double quantity of besan (gram flour). Besan can be in water yield a rich blue hue. substituted by atta, maida, rice flour, arrow root powder, fuller’s earth (multani mitti), and even talcum powder. BROWN Another alternative method is to dry the petals of Wet Colour: About 100 gm of kattha (Acacia catechu) amaltas (Cassia fistula), gainda (Tagetes erecta), yellow soaked in half litre of water overnight, will give a brownish chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) flowers or the heads of black babul (Acasia arabica) in shade and colour. One fistful of coffee grains or tea leaves boiled in then crush them to obtain yellow powder. Further, mix water and then cooled and diluted before use. appropriate quantity of the powder with besan or use separately. Again to obtain a yellow powder, dried and well BLACK ground rind of bel (Aegle marmelos) fruit is an alternative. Wet Colour: Boil dried fruits of amla (Phyllanthus emblica) in an iron vessel and leave overnight. Dilute and Wet Colour: Add one teaspoon of haldi to two litres of use. Otherwise, extract the juice of black wine grapes water and stir well. This can be boiled to increase the (Vitis vinifera) and dilute with sufficient water to remove concentration of colour and further diluted. Cooling is stickiness befor (before) use. necessary before use. Otherwise, soak amaltas or gainda flower in water. Then boil and leave overnight. RED Dry Colour: Mix dried and well ground fruits of kamala BLUE Dry Colour: Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), butterfly (Mallotus philippensis) or red sandalwood (Pterocarpus pea (Clitoria ternatea) or blue hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii) santalinus) powder or dried and ground gulmohar flowers can be dried in the shade and ground to obtain a (Delonix regia) flowers with double quantity of any flour beautiful blue powder. to increase the bulk.

Besides, the raw materials of Innovative Approaches colours from the dry petals of flowers such natural colours are cheap, easily available But for those who do not want to make as marigold, china rose, butterfly pea, palash, etc. The technology was entrusted and can be prepared at home. Many herbal gulal at their homes there are other colours are obtained by mixing primary to a few entrepreneurs. Some of the herbal alternatives. colours. Artisans produce many of the gulals available in the market are prepared colours from natural sources in dry In the year 2003, a group of Indian as per the know-how developed by powder form and sell those colours scientists from CSIR-National Botanical CSIR-NBRI. in the weeks and months preceding Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, In 2005, scientists and researchers of Holi. developed a process of extracting natural the Chemical Engineering department of

46 | Science Reporter | March 2019 Make Natural Colours at Home

Flowers of Mountain Ebony or Flowers of Flame of the Forest or Flowers of Saffron or Kesar Tree (Mallotus philippensis) Kachnar (Bauhinia purpurea) Tesu (Butea monosperma) (Crocus sativus) [Photo: Dipanjan Ghosh] Wet Colour: About 200gm of palita madar (Erythrina MAGENTA indica) or buras (Rhododendron arboretum) or gulmohar Wet Colour: Slice or grate one chukander or beet (Beta or china rose (Hibiscus rosa-chinensis) can be soaked vulgaris) root. Soak in one litre of water or boil and leave in a litre of water and kept overnight. Dilute before use overnight for a deeper shade. Another way is to soak as per your need. Put two teaspoons of red sandalwood kachnar (Bauhinia purpurea) flowers in water overnight powder in a litre of water and boil or boil 250 gm of madar or boil for a pinkish colour. tree wood in a litre of water and leave overnight. The next morning dilute and use. Peels of red pomegranate (Punica granatum) boiled in water leave red colour. Red SAFFRON colour can also be obtained from juice of tomatoes and Dry Colour: Dry and finely powdered flowers of tesu or carrots. This can be diluted with sufficient quantity of water palash (Butea monosperma) can be mixed to any flour for to remove the stickiness. dry orange colour. Also yellow sandalwood powder with a flour base can also be substituted for saffron colour. GREEN Dry Colour: Mix henna (Lawsonia inermis) powder with Wet Colour: Soak 250 gm of dried flower of tesu or silk equal amount of any suitable flour to attain a lovely green cotton (Bombax ceiba) overnight in ten litres of water or colour. boil to obtain fragrant orange coloured water. Otherwise, collect and dry the stalks of harshringar (Nyctanthes Wet Colour: Mix two teaspoons of henna powder in one arbor-tristis) flowers and then soak them in water to get a litre of water and stir well. Otherwise, mix dry and finely powdered leaves of gulmohar in adequate quantity of saffron shade. To make a costly colour soak a few stalks water to get natural green colour. Green colour can also of kesar (Crocus sativus) in two tablespoons of water. be obtained by mixing a fine paste of spinach, coriander Leave for few hours and grind to make a fine paste. Dilute or pudina leaves in water. with water for desired colour strength.

Jadavpur University, Kolkata developed lessens the possibility of pollution. save our environment and conserve organic dyes from flowers. Different Flowers left unsold in the flower- biodiversity. colours were obtained from colourful markets are either thrown in the river flowers by the aqueous extraction water or dumped along with other process of fixed flower-water ratio. The garbage. It also prevents flower-vendors Dr Dipanjan Ghosh is a science writer dye was mixed with talcum powder and from distress selling. and science communicator. Address: starch. By using safe natural colours, Chotonilpur Pirtala, PO Sripally Dist. Preparation of herbal gulal from prepared from flowers and herbs, we Purba Bardhaman-713 103, West Bengal. unsold flowers across the country also not only save our skins but also help Email: [email protected]

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