Short online workshop and release of awareness booklet ‘Eco-Friendly Holi Booklet: Lets Play Safe’

Chandigarh, March 16, 2022: Honourable Justice Shri Adarsh Kumar Goel, Chairperson, National Green Tribunal, released the booklet 'Eco-Friendly Holi Booklet: Let's Play Safe' during an online event jointly organized by Panjab University, Chandigarh and Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh.
 
In his keynote address, Justice Shri Adarsh Kumar Goel highlighted connecting the new generation with their traditional eco-friendly culture and approaches. He stressed that we need to avoid playing Holi with water balloons, plastic water guns (pichkaris), and toxic colours as these activities could negatively impact the environment and human health. Justice Goel added that Using natural colours is one of the best ways to avoid water wastage as cleaning them is easy and this will also save water. He also added that we should apply our heart and mind and play our role in protection of environment.
 
Justice Jasbir Singh, Guest of honour of the event, mentioned celebrating Holi using Eco-friendly practices to protect ecology and wildlife as the synthetic and toxic colour becomes part of the environment. He further added that traditionally Holi had been celebrated for centuries, with poems and celebrations of community fire. He further added that making natural colours using flowers and home-based material is easy and we could make them at home. 
 
Dr Suman Mor, Chairperson, Department of Environment Science, Panjab University, Chandigarh, emphasized that today's workshop focused on making Eco-friendly Colours at Home in a few minutes. She added that dried Palash power, when mixed with water, gives saffron-red colour, which also has medicinal uses and benefits to the skin due to its astringent properties. Palash and other spring flowers used to be plucked & dried in the sun. She also added that providing the proper knowledge is the key to engaging the public in promoting sustainable environmental practices.

Dr Ravindra Khaiwal, Professor, Department of Community Medicine & School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh, explained the health effects of toxic chemicals such as lead, copper, alumina, mercury and dyes being used to manufacture synthetic colours. These toxic compunds could cause eye and skin allergy, temporary blindness. Further, they affect the skin, kidney and liver and have carcinogenic properties.  

The infographic booklet 'Eco-Friendly Holi Booklet: Let's Play Safe' includes stories behind Holi, knowledge about synthetic colours and their health effects. It provides a step-by-step procedure to make home-based safe colours to play natural Holi. The booklet specifically mentioned that we should not apply or throw colours on pets and street animals as they may inhale them, which causes irritation, allergy and could lead to infection. This booklet is designed under the Citizen Environmental Empowerment Project, funded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, New Delhi.