UP: Herbal gulal made by prisoners under Skill Development Mission program

Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 24 : The prisoners of Mathura District Jail prepared herbal gulal ahead of the holi on the occasion of Rangotsav of the world-famous Braj in Mathura. Herbal gulal has been prepared for holi by 6 inmates of the jail which is eco-friendly as well as friendly to the skin.
Under the initiative of the Yogi government, the prisoners detained in jail are also becoming self-reliant. Prisons built across the state are being made self-reliant through the Skill Development Mission. Under the Skill Development Mission, the jail administration in Mathura District Jail is engaged in making the prisoners self-reliant by training them in various fields.
To make Braj's Holi more special, 6 prisoners lodged in Mathura jail are engaged in preparing a special gulal. Herbal gulal is made by mixing vegetables in arrowroot. To make herbal, gulal is prepared by grinding spinach in arrowroot and extracting green colour from it. Similarly, light green colour is being prepared by grinding fenugreek, red colour by grinding beetroot, yellow gulal is being prepared using turmeric powder. Perfume is being added to keep the fragrance in it.
According to Mathura Jail Superintendent Brajesh Kumar Singh, as soon as the festival of Holi approaches, quintals of gulal are prepared in the jail every year. Jail prisoners Sonu, Sunny, Rinku, Ashraf, Vijay, and Harendra Singh have been engaged in preparing herbal gulal for many days. Holi is played for 40 days in Braj. Here Holi starts from Basant Panchami. Rang gulal starts flying from Basant Panchami. On February 27, Laddu Mar Holi will be celebrated and on February 28, Lath Mar Holi will be celebrated in Barsane. According to an estimate, thousands of quintals of Gulal are blown yearly in Braj on Holi.

The jail administration has also made arrangements to make the gulal being made in the district jail available to the common people. The jail superintendent said that the gulal being made by the inmates in the jail costs around Rs 180 per kg. This gulal will be sold at Rs 200 per kg. Packets of 100-100 grams of Gulal will be available for sale at the main gate of the jail. Due to this, the inmates of the prison are being made self-reliant. So that whenever he is released from jail, he can live in society and take care of himself and his family.
The prisoners lodged in the jails of Uttar Pradesh are showing such creativity that they make god's dress on Janmashtami while eco-friendly Rakhi on Raksha Bandhan. Prisoners are being made self-reliant under the Skill Development Mission program run by the Uttar Pradesh government. At present, about 1700 prisoners are lodged in Mathura District Jail.