As the festival of Onam (August 16 to 26) finds followers in Delhiites, many are taking to the flowers to create intricate Pookalams — the vibrant floral rangolis that are laid out to mark the festivities — at their doorways to glow up their abode. Fragrance and shades of marigold, rose, and jasmine dominate the 10-day celebrations that span from Atham to Thiruvonam (first and last day of the harvest festival), as some craft a fresh floral design every morning while others build on the same pattern by adding new layers, flowers, and intricate colours. But, once the grand festivities wrap up and the petals begin to wilt, those gorgeous arrangements usually end up in the trash or tossed into local water bodies, turning festive cheer into environmental waste. Rather than letting your post-celebration blooms go to waste, Delhi University student collectives and eco-foundations across the Capital are encouraging you to give a stylish second life to the Pookalam flowers by getting these recycled.
At Hansraj College, students are taking charge to ensure festive floral waste doesn’t end up polluting local ecosystems. “We feel as Gen Z we must play our bit in contributing to the environmental betterment of our city, and recycling these flowers is one way for us to do it. Anyone who wants to have their Pookalam flowers recycled can reach out to us as we collect these directly or arrange a pick-up, so that these don’t end up with other garbage,” says Ashutosh Patnaik, a second-year DU student who is part of Hansraj College’s Enactus team. He adds, “Recycling floral waste is equally important as is recycling plastic. A lot of the flowers used during the upcoming festive celebrations, end up getting dumped in water bodies causing severe water pollution. Yes, these are biodegradable but takes much longer time. So through our project Mehr, we collect floral waste from temples and homes to make products such as potpourris, natural colour dyes, and compost. Around 10 to 12 students, both seniors and juniors, work on this. Once collected, we then collaborate with an NGO to train members of the transgender community on how to make new products out of these to give back to the society.”
The push to rescue used flowers isn’t limited to campus walls as Delhi-based non profit organisation Gulmeher Foundation aims to involve city residents to contribute to the effort. “When floral waste goes to landfills, it decomposes under pressure and releases methane, which is six times more potent and toxic than carbon dioxide,” says Anurag Kashyap, from the foundation, adding, “Rather than letting these flowers damage the environment, we turn it into something useful. We even collect unsold flowers from Ghazipur market and recycle it. During the festive season, we encourage people who use flowers to make rangolis, including Pookalams during Onam or Rakshabandhan, to help us recycle these flowers. We collect the flowers, dry these, and convert it into various handcrafted products such as stationery, accessories, and even natural rangoli colours. If people have floral waste from poojas conducted at their home or officers, we are happy to accept those as well, and request them to ship us the flowers.”
{{/usCountry}}The push to rescue used flowers isn’t limited to campus walls as Delhi-based non profit organisation Gulmeher Foundation aims to involve city residents to contribute to the effort. “When floral waste goes to landfills, it decomposes under pressure and releases methane, which is six times more potent and toxic than carbon dioxide,” says Anurag Kashyap, from the foundation, adding, “Rather than letting these flowers damage the environment, we turn it into something useful. We even collect unsold flowers from Ghazipur market and recycle it. During the festive season, we encourage people who use flowers to make rangolis, including Pookalams during Onam or Rakshabandhan, to help us recycle these flowers. We collect the flowers, dry these, and convert it into various handcrafted products such as stationery, accessories, and even natural rangoli colours. If people have floral waste from poojas conducted at their home or officers, we are happy to accept those as well, and request them to ship us the flowers.”
{{/usCountry}}What’s pooklam?
Artist Priya Pakad who will be conducting a pooklam-making workshop(92206 25122) in Gurugram today, shares: “Pookkalam isn’t just a floral decoration. It’s Nature, mathematics, colour, art, making, patience and community all coming together on the floor of a home. Families go looking for flowers and leaves, collect what is locally available, sort them by colour and texture, and then sit together to make the pookkalam. A simple thread and chalk is used to create a large geometric design — using threads of different lengths for different radii to make larger, more complex designs. It is so ingenious. Almost like a human compass. And then there is the geometry. The circular forms, symmetry and patterns are fascinating. Some pookkalams are instantly striking, not necessarily because they are more elaborate, but because of how beautifully the colours, shapes, scale and spaces come together.”
Catch It Live
What: Flowers of Onam
Where: Inomi Creative Labs, Nirvana Country, Sector 50
Time: 3pm
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Have you also come across the viral Reel (16M views) of Kathakali-themed Pookalam with moving eyes? It’s co-creator Shreya Satsangi, a Chennai-based engineer, tells us: “My friend Komalika and I wanted to showcase the beautiful combination of culture, creativity, electronics and innovation. So we created this Pookalam where tradition meets technology. The centrepiece of this flower arrangement is a Kathakali dancer’s face with moving eyes, powered by servo motors controlled through an Arduino microcontroller. The movement adds life to the artwork while demonstrating how engineering can transform a traditional art form into an interactive experience.”
Where to send floral waste for recycling?
Aaruhi:7982902705
Enactus Hansraj College: DM at Enactus Hansraj/Instagram
Gulmehar Foundation: 93105 03175
Nirmalaya: 88823 23097
OSR Trust: 097736 62755