“What is holy today is becoming waste tomorrow, so how can we make it holy again?” asks Maya Vivek, one of the founders of Holy Waste, describing the work of her small business in the south Indian city of Hyderabad.
She’s referring to the waste left behind at places of worship, including temples and mosques, where they use flowers in prayer rituals. Hyderabad alone generates more than 1,000 metric tonnes every day, Vivek says.
Floral waste is one of India’s biggest pollutants, on land and water, accounting for nearly a third of all solid waste in the country, according to statistics. Because they have been offered in prayers, the dead flowers are considered holy, and not to be disposed of with the other rubbish. And so they get dumped into the nearest body of water, usually a river.
The Ganges, revered and adored as Ganga ma by millions, takes in more than eight million metric tonnes of flower waste every year, says UN Climate Change. Now imagine this in hundreds of rivers and lakes throughout the country.
Floral waste not only clogs up the water channels, it also releases pesticides and insecticides into the already murky waters, harming human beings who drink from it, as well as resident marine life. In areas with no convenient access to water, flower waste is simply left in large piles on streets, or thrown into landfills. This causes a different type of problem, increasing carbon emissions and other types of air and soil pollution.
Thankfully, social entrepreneurs in parts of India have come to the rescue over the past few years, collecting and cleaning these discarded flowers and turning them into usable products, such as organic compost and, more valuably, soaps, candles, incense sticks and natural dyes.
Holy Waste is one such brand, under the parent company Oorvi (meaning Earth), founded by Vivek and Minal Dalmia to provide a new lease of life to Hyderabad’s flower waste. In the same way, in Kanpur in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, companies such as Help Us Green and Phool do their bit to clean up the Ganges.
Farther north is the Sanjeevani Self Help Group, run under the Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission, which collects and recycles dry flower waste from the popular Vaishno Devi shrine and surroundings. In the heart of India, in Madhya Pradesh, Art Ichol does similar work, converting flower waste into incense sticks.
For Phool’s founder Ankit Agarwal, it all started in 2015, when his European friend commented on the floating rubbish in the Ganges in his hometown of Kanpur. For the first time, Agarwal saw with fresh eyes the problem of river congestion and its ecological damage. As Nachiket Kuntla, head of research and development at Phool, puts it: “When an individual throws flowers into the river, [he] thinks, ‘what harm can a handful of flowers cause?’ But we are a country of more than a billion people, so imagine the effect.”
A couple of years after his realisation, Agarwal started Phool (meaning flower) as a way to deal with this pollutant and create something organic and useful for the same people who create the waste.
Vivek and Dalmia were inspired by online videos of such processes, and started their own initiative in 2018. By the time the Covid-19 pandemic struck, they had a product ready for the commercial market, and were processing nearly 800kg of flower material every week, with the help of 10 employees.
The Phool team says the process of converting flower waste into incense is not complicated. The old flowers are collected every morning, and sorted by workers who clean up plastic and other waste, and then separate the petals. They are then sun dried and pulverised into powder form, after which they are rolled into incense sticks along with some fragrance. “Every step of our production is monitored and controlled to make sure it is sustainable,” Kuntla says. “We use only pure essential oils and no artificial fragrances. Even the central part of the flower and rotten bits go towards making vermicompost and manure.”
These small enterprises across India are not only helping the environment, but are also providing skills training and employment opportunities to local women. “We figured that if we could give women favourable circumstances to work in, we could turn them into people with economic freedom,” Vivek says.
At Phool, the workforce of nearly 200 employees is made up entirely of women, many of them from manual scavenging communities that Kuntla describes as traditionally having “low dignity and low income”.
To give women more freedom at work, Holy Waste has also allowed them to work from home since the pandemic, giving them pedal-powered machines. “They are not rolling with their hands all day, they get to work at their own time and pace, and manage an output of 6kg to 7kg a day — that is 4,000 sticks,” Vivek says.
While these companies sell incense sticks and cones, essential oils, soaps and other home fragrance products, Phool has gone further in its research, developing a vegan leather from the same material. Fleather, as they’ve called it, was a serendipitous discovery by Kuntla, who first noticed a thin, fibrous growth on the old flowers. When treated, the substance looked and felt like leather, and that made Kuntla put this thinking cap on. Fleather is still under testing, but the company has managed to make shoes, wallets and sling bags from the material.
This upcycling model — of turning once-fragrant flowers into luxury products — is slowly catching the attention of other entrepreneurs in other parts of the country, not to mention reviving whole communities. So far, it’s been the most viable solution for this kind of waste.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
The%20specs
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The five pillars of Islam
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Read more about the coronavirus
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The five pillars of Islam
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The years Ramadan fell in May
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Concrete and Gold
Foo Fighters
RCA records
BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
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Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
UAE SQUAD
Khalid Essa, Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammad Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoon Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
