Gulaal Gota | 28 Mar 2024

Recently, Gulaal Gota, a unique tradition dating back around 400 years, was celebrated in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Gulaal Gota is a small ball made of lac, filled with dry gulaal, and weighs around 20 grams when filled.
Lac, the primary raw material for Gulaal Gota, is sourced from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
- The process of making Gulaal Gotas involves boiling lac in water to make it flexible, shaping it, adding colour, heating it, and then blowing it into a spherical shape with the help of a blower called "phunkni".
Gulaal Gotas are made by Muslim lac makers, known as Manihaars, in Jaipur, who learned lac-making from Hindu lac makers in Bagru, a town near Jaipur.
The government of India has given “artisan cards” to the lac bangle and Gulaal Gota makers, allowing them to avail benefits from government schemes.
In a bid to save the tradition, some Gulaal Gota makers have demanded a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

It is a resinous substance that is secreted by certain insects. The female scale insect is one of the sources of lac.
To produce 1 kg of lac resin, around 300,000 insects are killed. The lac insects also yield resin, lac dye and lac wax.
It is used in various applications, including the production of lac bangles.

A GI tag is a name or sign used on certain products that correspond to a specific geographical location or origin.
The GI tag ensures that only the authorised users or those residing in the geographical territory are allowed to use the popular product name.
- It also protects the product from being copied or imitated by others.
A registered GI is valid for 10 years.
GI registration is overseen by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.