*Herbal way to soothing Holi* http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080321/jsp/jharkhand/story_9042861.jsp - Painting the state capital red, blue, green, yellow… OUR CORRESPONDENT A child with a plastic sprinkler at a market in Ranchi. Picture by Manik Bose
*Ranchi, March 20:* If skin rashes are a reason for not playing with colours on Holi, there is reason to smile now. With special herbal colours from Medinipur and Manar in Bihar flooding the local market, Holi can now be enjoyed without the fear of allergies and dermal rashes. Available in attractive colours, these perfumed *gulal *are non-irritant to the skin and can be washed off easily. The colours are prepared from different flowers and vegetable dye. The petals of flowers are first selected and sun-dried after which they are turned to powder. Dermatologist A. Singh said many people complain of skin irritation and rashes after playing with colours in Holi. "One should be careful with the colours as a lot of chemicals are used in preparing them and they are bound to cause rashes on the skin. However, with herbal colours the damage should be less," Singh said. Sameer, a colour vendor, said that youngsters prefer stronger colours, which take time to come off, but admitted that the demand for herbal colours is also on the rise. The market is flooded with Chinese sprinklers to attract children during Holi. The sprinklers in vibrant colours are available in different shapes and sizes and have replaced the metal sprinklers. The range of sprinklers starts from Rs 18 to Rs 75. On the other hand, the preHoli bash was upbeat in different community halls with various organisations celebrating the festival. City bus stops were crowded as hosteliers residing in city colleges, were heading back home. "We are going to our hometown, Ramgarh, for the festival," said Mahesh Kumar, a student of Gossner College. Candidates contesting for the civic poll were also making the most of the festival by playing Bollywood hits like *Holi ke din dil mil jaate hain *and *Mera rang de basanti chola *during their campaign. Any festival is incomplete without food and all the kitchens in the city are busy preparing *dahi vada*, *malpua *and *dhuska *way in advance.****
