Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh, is making the most out of a grand welcome ceremony for Congress general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi. The state congress unit laid a carpet of 6000 kg rose petals, spread out over 2 km, during the 85th plenary session in Raipur. The extravagant event was criticized by opposition parties, but the state government has found an innovative solution to put the rose petals to good use.
The government has decided to collect and send the trampled rose petals to Kalpataru Multi-utility Centre, where they will be used to make natural gulal or abir. Gulal is a colored powder used for Hindu rituals during Holi festival or Dol Purnima. The multi-utility center has been manufacturing natural colors and gulal from flowers used in temples and functions for quite some time. Now, they will be using the rose petals from the welcome ceremony to make natural gulal as well.
The decision has received some backlash from the opposition BJP in the state, who accused Congress of disrespecting Sanatan by using these rose petals for gulal, which is used on auspicious occasions. However, Congress supporters have defended the decision, stating that the natural gulal prepared from these roses will be used for pious occasions and offered to God and Goddesses, and applied to elders.
R Kishore Kumar, the in-charge of the multi-utility center, has confirmed that the quintals of roses used in the welcome ceremony of Priyanka Gandhi and other places during the plenary session have reached their center. They are currently in the process of manufacturing natural gulal from them.
The decision to use the rose petals to make natural gulal is not only an innovative way to reduce waste but also a sustainable way to promote the use of natural colors. With this initiative, Raipur sets an example for other cities to follow in their effort to reduce waste and promote sustainability.
