Bhubaneswar:

This sight at the Saraswati Sishu Vidya Mandir near Khandagiri was worth beholding. In the run-up to Holi festival, three days away, there were colours everywhere - from the floor to the door, from the cheeks to the nose, from hands to the clothes. It was a workshop for children, teaching them how to make colours on their own - that too with natural products.

The giggles, shrills and chortles were as varied as the colours of the rainbow. The casual overflow of laughter resonated across the halls of a school as about 100 children from all age groups prepared colours in their tiny hands, careless and carefree. They laughed and guffawed in uninhibited ways to form the VIBGYOR - and were themselves gleefully surprised at the oranges, yellows and greens they made.

"It is an effort to go natural. We believe that merely preaching about not using chemical colours is not enough, people need solutions. By engaging with children, who play Holi the most, we hope to create a lasting change. The colours they make are free from harmful chemicals, animal-friendly, and eco-friendly, with the goodness of herbs and natural ingredients," explains Shweta Agarwal, founder of Unmukt Foundation and the brain behind the initiative.

Known as Unmukt Abeer, the workshop has been designed for the underprivileged - about 300 odd who were trained over a period of three days. It was also held at other government and private schools in the city on demand from school authorities.

At Abeer workshop, Holi colours are made by using corn flour/arrowroot powder as a base and pigments from turmeric, beetroot, green leaves of spinach or delonix regia, or natural minerals, give pastel colors. They also use food colors to create more vibrant colours, as children love them.

"The initiative is about keeping Holi fun, vibrant, and joyful while ensuring it is safe and sustainable. By teaching children how to make their own natural colors, Unmukt Foundation is enabling them to enjoy the festival without compromising their health or the environment. We are not just teaching children to celebrate Holi differently, we are trying to shape a generation that values joy without harm, colour without consequence, and festivities with purpose," says an exuberant Shweta who by academics and profession is an architect.

While some children get engrossed in experimenting with colours, the others go out to dry the wet colour containers. “Now that I know how to make them myself, I will never go back to using chemical colours or those that are available in open market. I am excited to make these colors with my daughter and pass on this beautiful, safe tradition to her,” said a teacher from Government Upper Primary School, Baramunda.

As soon as the colours got mixed with the base and new colours emerged, the students went berserk. "I am so happy to make the colours, so excited! I would not ever use synthetic colours for Holi. I have understood these chemicals make us sick, keep us away from school, and that makes our parents worry," says Soumika (name changed), another student from Government Nodal High School, Khandagiri.

Belonging to Gwalior, Shweta left a lucrative job and career in Kolkata after she felt her calling was something else. While trying to find a reason to lead a meaningful life, she decided to make a difference which could include children, the future, and the climate and environment, all of which contribute to how the future will be. "I found Bhubaneswar the right place because there was less pollution and a big blank canvas to work in the fields of education and climate," states Shweta.

As the parents wait to pick up their kids after the workshop, they too cannot resist the temptation and join the children. "These kids have been coming to our experiential classes on a daily basis. At Unmukt Foundation we aim to create joyful and sustainable learning communities where children can thrive and reach their full potential. We teach them in a way that is different from classroom or rote learning," she further details on the purpose of the foundation that has six full time staff and a handful of volunteers.

Shweta and her team that includes the co-facilitator Monali Dash, program coordinator Rupesh Barik, volunteers Swati and Arandhana, besides Sudhanwa Dash, have been consistently working since the past seven years to impart students with holistic education. "On Sundays, we have almost half day classes where we also impart training on various sports and games. The colour making workshop is just a one-and-half hour session," Shweta informs.

Why classes for the underprivileged? "Because they are not able to fend for themselves. They are not able to bear the expenses of private coaching or tuition classes. We teach the students without any fees. There are children mostly from the nearby slums, where either parents work as house helps or auto drivers. So bridging the gap was the first thing I wanted to take up," explains she.

Unmukt Foundation's Abeer fulfils a part of its objectives while its major focus is on conducting experiential classes for children from the underprivileged sections of the society, from class 1 to 10. A student trained by the foundation Tanushree Das, bagged a silver medal in Judo at the Khelo India Games women's league at Shillong. Further, from among the 10 students who participated in the state level championship, seven got medals - 1 gold, 2 silvers and 4 bronzes.

A jolly mother walking out of the workshop cannot but stop smiling. Ask her what has her son learnt, she says, "Many things. On other days, course curriculum of the school but today to learn making colours. We were initially resisting sending the children here, but we saw the difference. Our kids spent time well and meaningfully," she says with a sense of contentment.

The Abeer workshop will continue till Friday. So far, 1,138 children, 50 teachers, and several youth participants have been trained in making organic colours and seven schools (five government schools, one low-budget private school, and one private school) and two communities have been covered under the programme.

Ask Shweta how does she manage the funds required for the Unmukt Foundation and she says, "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. We have wonderful people supporting us, some companies have lent us financial aid and our volunteers have been relentless in their work," she says.

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