Gangaur is one of the most important festivals of Rajasthan and in 2025 I was to celebrate my first Gangaur. While I do not believe much in religion, culture has become extremely important to me once I understood how deeply rooted certain practices can be to ecology. For me, for example,Gangaur teaches us the importance of song and dance over shopping to fulfil emotional voids or the power of community and female companionship for women. Of course, all cultures need to grow and progress, but Rajasthani culture has a lot of vibrancy that I wish to carry forward into the future and use to break the monotony of life. Even if I don’t agree with everything in it. And I really do not.
But first, what is Gangaur and why is important?
History of Gangaur
Gangaur, as the folk tale goes, was when Lord Shiva with his divine wife Parvati and his divine wahan Nandi came to Earth, where they were greeted by the women with food and joy. In return, the goddess would bless them, marking the beginning of this festival which is treated as Maa Parvati returning to her mother’s house for a while before her and Lord Shiva return to their home in Kailash. Perhaps, that’s why this festival is also celebrated, in the first year of marriage, at the bride’s maternal home, once again showing the importance this festival holds in keeping women tied to their birth family. Since Gangaur, like most Marwari festivals, is celebrated for the long life of one’s husband, no matter what, once started, a wife must celebrate it every year. Hello, patriarchy.
Yet, for the first year, she must observe sixteen days of Gangaur or even eighteen depending on the dates, and beyond that, in my mother’s house only the final day is celebrated. It is also expected women observing Gangaur fast but I do not do that for health reasons and because I don’t understand why it is wives only who go hungry always. Someone told me it was because men went out to work but that seems like made-up logic to me, and more indicative of how women were made to depend on men. Yet, I could be wrong and I don’t want to hurt any religious sentiments with my lack of knowledge, so I will move from this bit.
Now, I am not here to tell you how to observe your rituals and nor do I mean any disrespect. Most of these practices often served our people well when they were started but I want to share how with changing ecological needs, the celebrations might adapt. Whether you take these suggestions or not is up to you.
Flowers
Let us start with something that made me think. Flowers. While using natural flowers, supports local farms and shops which keeps plants important and thus alive, and this also adds cultural and aesthetic value, I wanted to support a local crotchet business with their plant-based reusable flowers or even upcycle some. So that my impact is reduced. I could always compost or make bioenzyme with my natural flowers but I prefer reusables. Yet, it made me think, not everyone can do that for a variety of reasons and if we all turn to reusables what’ll happen to the local businesses and flowers. One potential solution is when possible buy non-invasive plants and if you must, only then go for cut-flowers. Of course, not everyone feels up to caring for plants so that’s a consideration, but they’re a free source of flowers for you and others around you and if possible, we can make them pollinator friendly. When buying, aim to support local flower shops, or sustainable and regenerative farms. And of course, let’s not let them go into the waste bin.
This reminds me of another beautiful thing about Gangaur, which is that the very story of the festival is tied to nature. The tale goes that a gardener saw women take some dhurva from his garden, and questioned them, which lead to them giving him food at the end of the festival as thanks for this essential service, and this led to abundance at the farmer’s home. I love how the importance of supporting your community and inter-connectedness between people is highlighted here.
Cow Dung and Ash
While using the ash from the Holika dahan alongside cow dung is the culture, because it is said to ward off diseases, I cannot touch cow-dung and while I can get ash from Holika dahan if it has happened in my society, I think we as a whole would benefit from cleaner, greener, and perhaps even symbolic prayers to Agni dev by perhaps virtually burning away evil or a symbolic branch that cleanses the air around, if possible. Hence, I have decided this year, I will use what is to me the true pratik or symbol of letting go one’s pride and evil to make something good- compost and in the end it is a fertilizer like cow dung to go to my plants. If you prefer to use cow-dung, make sure to support local farms, as farm economy is one of the ways India can develop sustainably. Especially farmers that use a mix of traditional practices and technology to be regenerative or sustainable. This means the cows are treated well and given good food alongside eco-practices like agroforestry, or managed manure if organic farming happens or if conventional farming is used the farm ensures no waterways are damaged and their fertilizers etc. are low-impact. You can also look for pollinator friendly farms when possible. Or simply go to gaushalas, supporting which in itself is an act of charity, if cows are treated ethically.
Personal sustainability, please remember, is an individual journey, and what we need is community power to make systemic changes such as cleaner fuel, cleaner air, better transport, walkable cities, and more. While we can all do our part, the point is to prioritize high-impact acts like clean transport and fuel or avoiding unnecessary consumerism when possible, do what adds value to your life, and have grace for yourself. But say you must consume, then one of the best things you can do for yourself, the planet, and your community is…
Support Local Shops and Artisans or Sustainable Shops
It is tempting to buy things off Amazon, but supporting homegrown brands, your local shops and neighborhood, the road-side stalls, artisans, tailors, thrift stores, and if needed, sustainable-ish companies or e-commerce stores are what truly makes your consumption green. With every purchase from a small local business, you are helping someone. With every artisan supported, you are keeping traditional crafts alive and with enough conversations, we can innovate if they need to be greener. Every time you buy slow, you make it accessible to others in part and spread awareness. Are all of these doable for everyone? No.
Time, finances, culture, and many other things play a role. For example, slow fashion gifts might be too expensive if your culture like mine isn’t thrifting-friendly, or at least until I learned that something worn by someone else is considered new but aura matters to those believe. I simply let the sun and water cleanser its aura and hygiene. But that might not be acceptable to everyone.
For those whom it works, I gift art and poetry but for others I gift experiences or sustainable items when I can. Or I try and support genuine NGOs and local stores. For example, I got my dhurva from gardens nearby, and yes, I do BlinkIt when needed- but supporting community is important when possible- but for my swagpitari I decided either I would put everything symbolic to reduce impact or since I am supposed to give it to someone, I will add items which can be used. Whether I thrift unopened items or support sustainable stores, or take some mehendi that I have lying around and put it together, I wanted to ensure everything in it added value to the reciever while trying my best to be fair-trade and eco-friendly in my purchase. That did hike up the price, so I understand, not everyone can do that. But some things like swapping the nail paint which might be toxic to people for alta (I would have liked to make it at home but I don’t have the resources and I had some unused wedding alta lying around) is low-cost. The goddess will prefer if you spread love for people and planet, in my opinion. Which is also why, I do not subscribe to a hierarchy in people and give puja dan to those I feel it would help. Again, I mean no disrespect but just doing what I feel is ethical.
Even for my own sringar, instead of buying new or buying precious metals which need to be mined, I simply used what I had on hand or heirlooms. Sure, recycled gold and silver is good but only fair-trade materials ensure ethical mining, or so Gittemarie Johanson says. Governments are regulating mines but why overconsume, if your fair-trade jeweler isn’t around? I feel the idea of looking down on wearing alloys which are skin-safe is slightly classist. If you have gold and it adds value to your life, wear it. Try and get it fair trade when possible. I will stick to what precious and non-precious jewels I have.
Now to what most people love about festivals. The food.
The Bhog or Prasad
Everyone will tell you a different bhog. Some say rice offered to Shiv ji brings prosperity, others will say that Parvati Maa loves sugarcane juice and if that is given to her Laxmi Maa and Sarawati Maa, properity and knowledge, will never leave you. My mother told me to make or get saltless swahli and mathi for the festival. These are snacks made of flour or refined flour. My nani, maternal grandmother, told me that making halwa- a sweet made of oil and flour or dal- is enough. Of course, since I am trying to be low-impact, I will only be using items that are seasonal where I currently live, when I remember that, and plant-based stuffs. If you must use dairy, try and go to small farms ethical farms, even if that is a bit of an oxymoron. Support your local sweetshops as well and donate some food, which is also highly auspicious, and share with your community to spread cheer. Whatever can’t be eaten, can be composted. And same goes for anything you give or pour on idols. Either donate or compost is my vibe but you do what feels right to, and if possible, try and make it low in negative eco-impact and high in social posituve impact.
While organic has several gut benefits for some, and is pollinator friendly, organic and local farming isn’t always the best due to land use problems and mismanaged manure. Sure, artificial fertilizer factories in the US release methane and that should be avoided, but like Professor Swaminathan said, that a mix of conventional and organic farming that helps ecology and focuses on eliminating hunger over profits is what is needed. For me, that means plant-based, traditional, seasonal, and if possible and financially viable organic. More important, I will use what I have before buying new. Sure, some cultures say bhagwan ka khana has to be separate but I ask why. If you kitchen is clean, I don’t see why anyone will have issues eating what you eat. Feel free to politely educate me if you disagree.
Visrajan
While people say that the ritual is to immerse the idols and all the puja items, except for what is given to our gardeners and priests, in water, this can harm our fresh water bodies. If organic matter increases in water bodies, it can cause eutrophication or algae growth that kills marine life. Instead, some places now have drums near water bodies for this holy purpose. Sonika Bashin and many others have also shared how they immerse the idols and other samagri in buckets of water at home, especially if the idol is made of PoP, which we should avoid. If you are using natural flowers, they can be composted, made into bioenzymes, or if they’re high impact roses, they can be made into julab jal or rose water.
While my elders never told me what to do with the pindiye, ash is a good compost and so is cow-dung. My plants would appreciate the divinity for sure. Whatever cannot be donated or reused and does not need to kept for puja purposes, should be returned to nature in a responsible manner, in my humble unlearned opinion.
The festival is vibrant, especially its community aspects that come out in the Jaipur celebrations. The geet or the songs and the the traditional attire, especially if slow fashion or heirloom, adds a charm that adds immense value to many lives. The katha and stories are a source of many moral and religious lessons, making them a treasure trove of cultural history. Yet, keeping the needs of the planet or Earth Mother in mind is important, which could mean some adaption or even returning to more traditional forms of celebrations. After all, sustainability is often a journey that is unique to each individual based on their needs and resources, except for universal adages like limiting or phasing out fossil fuels, reducing meat intake when ecologically harmful, not consuming what doesn’t add value- but we must balance our health, our cultural needs, and the needs of people and planet. To help you do that, I have curated a planner where you can track your sustainable habits, and see what can be changed– if anything, and note down the most effective actions for you, whether that be reduced flights, a more plant-based diet, switching to public transport or EV, or installing solar panels on your roof. It is better than recycling one piece of reusable plastic and thinking that had a bigger impact than a less stressful high-impact alternative, don’t you think? While I have not shared what is more effective to ensure no one feels pressured, you can look at sources like Our World in Data or Our Changing Climate and note down which options work for you.
Here’s to a fruitful, fun, and a practically sustainable gangaur which keeps our traditions alive and the planet safe. What do you think of the thoughts shared? Let me know in the comments.
