The pioneering natural dye organisation Aranya Natural is celebrating its 25^th anniversary in February. A conference, Sustainability of Natural Dyes, workshops and events will mark the occasion, from 22 – 25^th February in Munnar, India. Aranya, which specialises in eco-friendly fabric dyes, was set up in the tea-growing hilly region of Munnar in the early nineties to provide employment for the local community.

It was an extension of the Srishti Trust, which runs programs for the education, training and rehabilitation of the differently abled children of Munnar’s tea plantation workers. The Trust found that graduates of its educational programs had nowhere local to work and needed to migrate from the area.