Indore forest department prepares natural herbal colours to celebrate holi

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The forest department is preparing natural herbal colours from the flowers of ‘Tesu’ as the city is gearing up to celebrate Holi with fervour again after two years.

Tesu is also known as Palash (botanical name Butea Monosperma). The officials were instructed to collect Tesu flowers from the forest and prepare herbal colours from it on Saturday.

The colours are being prepared in the Choral locality of the district. The forest department has already set up machines for grinding flowers here.

The department has been making natural colours since 2018. Initially five colours were made. Now, the department is working to prepare more colours.

Back in 2018, the colour was sold at Rs 10 a packet. The amount was deposited in the accounts of the Forest Committee.

In view of the first wave of Corona in 2020, events in the city were cancelled. Because of which, the department did not make the colours.

In 2021, the then DFO Kiran Bisen had made natural colours with the help of rural women with a view to make women self-reliant. About 30 kg of colours were made at that time.

A packet of 200 grams was sold for Rs 30 a pack. After the third wave, the corona infection has decreased, the government and administration have removed many restrictions this year. In view of this, the Indore Forest Division decided to make colours.

Chief Conservator of Forest H S Mohanta said. “The process of preparing and packing of the colours will be done in Talai beet falling in Choral range. This helps us connect with rural families through forest committees.”

Men would be engaged in collecting flowers from the forests. The women would have the responsibility of drying and grinding them. Forest personnel would monitor the process, he added.

Flowers will be gathered from the forests of Choral, Mhow and Manpur to make colour, Mohanta said.

The colours will be made available for the public to buy at a reasonable rate at the forest department office from this week onwards.