Women from a Naxal-affected village left their village due to fear of Naxalites, and have been earning thousands of rupees by making gulal for Holi for the past five years.
Women from a self-help group are making herbal gulal from flowers and vegetables for Holi.
Raipur, March 8, 2025/ In the Naxal-affected panchayat of Bhairamgarh in Bijapur district, many women living in the camp had their lives made colorless by Naxalites. To save their lives, these women left their village and are now adding color to people’s lives by making herbal gulal. These women have been doing this work without any trouble for the last five years and say they will continue to do so in the coming years.
In Bhairamgarh, Bijapur district, women of the Maa Durga Women’s Self-Help Group are becoming self-reliant by making herbal gulal for the past five years under the Bihan program. This time, the people of Bijapur will celebrate Holi with the herbal colors and gulal made by them. There is a high demand for the herbal gulal made by these women. Many people are also placing orders for the gulal. Meanwhile, Janpad Panchayat CEO Puneet Ram Sahu said that women are being encouraged to make herbal gulal, and taking advantage of this, these women have been making and selling gulal in the market for the last five years. Every year, they are earning a living for their families by selling more than 50 kilos of gulal. At present, there are 10 women in this group.
Herbal gulal is being prepared from different flowers.
The women of this self-help group are preparing colors for Holi from different flowers and vegetables. These women are preparing herbal gulal from spinach, red amaranth, tesu flowers, and marigold flowers. These women have already been given training by the administration. In the last five years, these women have sold approximately 150 kg of gulal so far. The special thing is that this herbal gulal does not harm people’s faces. This is the reason why people are already placing orders for herbal gulal. Development Block Project Manager Rohit Sori said that the women of the group are residents of Itampar village, which is across the Indravati River. Due to Naxal violence, these women have left the village and are currently living in the Bhairamgarh camp. These women have been provided with accommodation by the district administration. Sori said that apart from this, these women are earning their livelihood by doing different businesses.
Herbal gulal is in high demand.
Self-help group president Phagni Kawasi and secretary Anita Karma said that they were first given training in making herbal gulal by the district administration. The colors made here are completely natural. We are preparing different colors from flower petals, spinach, red amaranth, turmeric, gram flour, and palash flowers. There is a lot of demand for our herbal gulal. Due to this, we have been doing this work for the last five years. The women said that their gulal is being sold by setting up stalls in the market as well as with the Zila Panchayat. This is also generating good income.