Seed Embedded Organic Gulal: A Post Holi Greening Concept

Holi, the festival of colours, produces a large volume of organic waste in the shape of discarded gulal and this gulal is usually washed after the celebrations, adding very little worth to ecology. This paper presents and considers a new seed embedded organic gulal as a post-Holi greening intervention which combines cultural practice and city ecological regeneration. The gulal has been made with different plant material and natural binders, with light weighted small sized natural plant seeds embedded in it. Different characteristics of the gulal, such as the size of particles, pH and stability of color were tested to determine the safety and utility. The potential of germination and early growth of plants were evaluated at controlled and field conditions after simulated application of Holi. The findings showed a high seed-viability with an equivalent percentage germination as compared to the conventionally sown seeds and did not have any inhibitory effect of the organic color matrix. The use of seed-embedded gulal showed the possibility of converting the post-festivals residues into an effective seed distribution vehicle, which will enhance a green cover within urban areas. The current strategy provides a new culturally-oriented sustainable festival practice, waste management and community-based greening strategy.