Holi 2022: How much ‘Gulal’ does India consume on the festival of colours?

But while the traditions followed on Holi differ across India, several aspects of the celebration are common, with one being 'Gulal'.

India’s festival of colours, Holi is celebrated in several states across the country with great fervour across different tradition. The festival also marks the beginning of the harvest season. Across all four corners of the country, the festival is celebrated with the mantra of unity in diversity, where different ways of celebration are undertaken with the same enthusiasm. But while the traditions followed on Holi differ across India, several aspects of the celebration are common, with one being the dry Holi colour called ‘Gulal’ in Hindi.

People apply gulal on each other on Holi and follow it up with a loving embrace. Gulal is seen in the air and on the streets, painting them in rainbow. No wonder, that the quantities of Gulal produced to mark a festival being celebrated by crores would be unimaginable proportions.

So, how much Gulal does India consume on Holi?

Quantifying the Gulal produced on Holi in India is not an easy task. But one of the most recent estimates made by Assocham in 2016 stated that Over 5 lakh kilograms of Gulal is produced in India every year, with over 5,000 colour manufacturing units making the dry colour. Of this, the estimate stated, 2 lakh kg alone is used up by the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The city which produces the most gulal is Hathras, which also lies in UP. One of Hathras’ leading gulal manufacturers is Radha Kishan Color World, which is also known as the Cock Brand. Employing over 100 workers, the company alone produces around 2,000 tons of Gulal annually, as per a report from a leading media outlet last year.