This is how Chhatarpur women repurposed temple flowers

A group of women in Chhatarpur district is repurposing flowers offered in temples to create incense sticks and gulal, turning what was once considered waste into innovative products. Inspired by the teachings of her Gurudev, Bhavna Aggarwal started this initiative during the Covid-19 pandemic to employ women who had lost their jobs. The women collect used flowers from temples, which are usually discarded in rivers, and transform them into various products like incense sticks, dhoop batti, and sambrani cups.

Bhavna, who also runs a private school, aimed to make these women self-reliant and support their households. “I drew inspiration for this work from the sermons of my Gurudev, especially the part where he spoke at length about the management of flowers. We took up this work during the pandemic days when many had been rendered unemployed. Women wanted to make a living for themselves and support their households during the pandemic. They were looking for work. That’s what gave me the idea to repurpose used flowers in temples and turn them into incense sticks and gulaal,” she told ANI.

“We have a few direct customers and also supply products to many places across the country through online platforms. Our gulaal is also much sought-after and is made from flowers, Bel Patra (leaf), and vegetables. We have found a market for our products overseas as well. We recently took our products to London, America and Germany through the online platform,” Bhavna added.

Buoyed by the response, she now plans to put the district on the map with her initiatives. Currently, the team has 15 women taking the initiative to the far corners of the country and beyond, she added.

Rukmani Ahirwar, a co-worker, told ANI that she has been in this work for the last four years, since the pandemic days. “Since I started working here, running my household has got easier. I have been learning something new every day,” she added.