Differently-abled kids turn flowers into herbal colours

Differently abled children in the city have turned Holi into a celebration of inclusion and creativity by making herbal gulal from flowers and starch. Vertika Tandon, 20, who has cerebral palsy, was among the children actively involved in the process. Seated in her wheelchair, Vertika was seen mixing starch and organic colours with flower powder, her face glowing with a wide smile.

She was joined by over 60 children from Rainbow Society in Mahanagar and 20 children from Asha Jyoti School in Indiranagar, who were equally excited while preparing the herbal colours. Guided by special educators, these children — facing challenges like autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disabilities — worked diligently for hours since November to prepare the colours. Orders started being packed from mid-February.

The process began with the collection of flowers such as orchids, chrysanthemums, roses, lotus, blue pea flower, sunflower, dahlia, and hibiscus from Khatu Shyamji and Hanuman Setu temples. Depending on their abilities, children were assigned specific tasks. Younger kids helped in de-petalling roses, while older ones handled other flowers.

“Once the petals are separated, they are dried in shade and ground into fine powder,” said Swati Sharma, founder of Rainbow Society. “The children then mix food-grade starch with organic colours using their hands, and this mixture is left to dry. The floral powder is later added to the coloured starch, filtered to remove lumps or extra fibres, and blended with essential oils before being packed in various sizes. This process helps stimulate the children’s senses,” she added.

The herbal gulal is available in green, orange, yellow, pink, and blue shades, sold in packs ranging from 50 grams to 1kg. Prices start at ₹40 and go up to ₹500, available both offline and online.

“De-petalling helps improve the children’s fine motor skills (the movements of the body’s muscles to perform tasks) and builds their attention span while mixing starch stimulates their senses,” Sharma said.

In addition to learning new skills, the children also receive stipends for their hard work. “We have listed the products on marketplaces to ensure our kids get equal opportunities to sell their creations and not rely on sympathy,” Sharma added.

Children at Asha Jyoti School have also prepared rice flour for the festival. “These activities keep the children engaged while teaching them useful skills,” said Mamta Shah Dhami, a member of Asha Jyoti School. The school sells their gulal at ₹60 for 100 grams with normal packaging and ₹70 with cardboard packaging.