Project Palaash: A Pioneering Initiative by Enactus Aryabhatta

For years, rivers and streams have borne the brunt of urbanization. Did you know that the seemingly harmless floral waste, if not managed properly can become one of the biggest environmental hazards! Have you ever wondered what happens to the beautiful flowers that adorn the body of our gods and goddesses? Not long after these are utilized for religious worship of our deities, these very flowers end up sulking in our water bodies.

“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.”

– W H Auden

These worn-out flowers contaminate the water quality and the residue of pesticides used on the flowers percolates into the waters, thereby hampering our precious marine life. Another compelling factor contributing to the hazard on the quality of water is the impurity caused by various dyeing and textile industries. “The synthetic dyeing and textile industry is the third-largest consumer of water in the world, expending nearly 2.4 trillion gallons of water a year, and effusing over 70 toxic chemicals into the hydrosphere.”

Enactus Aryabhatta—a student-led team of young entrepreneurs, aiming to tackle a myriad of social issues plaguing the society by taking imperative steps to bridge the chasm between the rich and the poor with education and employment opportunities, ensuring judicious use of resources, significantly reducing wastage, promoting recycling and working towards building a community that is socially, economically, and environmentally sustained.

In 2019, Enactus Aryabhatta set out on a mission, a mission to give new life to these flowers while providing an umbrella solution to the problems of water pollution, inadequate floral waste management, and fast fashion by launching Project Palaash. The team utilizes the floral waste generated in religious places, flowers mandis, and weddings by converting it into vegan dyes and various other organic products including compost, candles, and colours.