The traditional, eco-friendly Gulal Gota or lac balls filled with natural dry colours are making a comeback and has become popular with Holi revellers once again despite the dominance of cheap synthetic options in the market.
The round-shaped Gulal Gota are traditionally manufactured in Jaipur where a few Muslim families have been engaged in this work for generations. The tradition of using Gulal Gota goes back 400 years when the erstwhile Jaipur royal family members would play Holi with them.
Made by lac, these balls are filled with natural colours. Unlike water balloons and water guns, Gulal Gota do not cause any harm. Artisans and manufacturers say the demand for Gulal Gota has gone up of late.
Most of the current generation enjoys Holi with synthetic gulal, water balloons and guns, only a few people know and use the beautiful Gulal Gota on Holi. However, now the young generation is also getting attracted towards it, said Avaz Mohammed, an artisan.
Mohammed says his children have also learnt the art of making the balls over the decades.
Due to the bulk orders, artisans start handcrafting Gulal Gotas around two months before the Holi festival.
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A beautiful Indian craft and tradition
The best thing about Gulal Gotas is that they are so thin and delicate one can easily break them with hand. Gulal Gota is still the favourite of erstwhile royal families and are a part of their Holi celebrations, he said.
Mohammad is spreading the art of making Gulal Gotas with Rajasthan Studio, an organisation that is giving art lovers a platform to co-create personalised art souvenirs with master artists. Gulal Gota manufacturing is one of the arts which the organisation is promoting.
Kartik Gaggar, CEO of Rajasthan Studio, told PTI that Gulal Gota is a beautiful Indian craft and tradition gaining popularity worldwide. Seeing love for Indian art forms, we connected with artists in Rajasthan and created platforms to bridge interest of art lovers and passion of master artisans, he added.
Another artisan Parvez Mohammad says the demand for Gulal Gota is coming from other cities as well. Apart from individual groups and temples, Gulal Gota is now widely being used in events and parties also. This is one of the reasons behind the spike in the demand, he said.
Unique, eco-friendly
“There was a time when the demand for Gulal Gota had significantly reduced and we were upset. The situation is better now because of the increase in demand and orders, not only from Jaipur but from other parts of the country also,” he said, adding that people prefer it mainly because of its uniqueness.
“It is eco-friendly, does not harm anyone and does not have any side effects like that of synthetic colours,” Mohammad added. He said six pieces of standard size are available for Rs 150.
Prakash Verma, a retailer who sells Holi colours in Jaipur, said Gulal Gotas had a good sale last year. “This year also, I am expecting a good sale of Gulal Gota. This is a unique thing and the younger generation likes to explore it,” he pointed out.
As per folk tales, the royal family members in Jaipur used to roam around their kingdom and throw Gulal Gota at passers-bys. Gulal Gotas are also used in temples across India, especially the Govind Devji temple in Jaipur and those in Mathura and Vrindavan.