Monika Koul

The vibrant colours of Holi bring with them valor, beauty and joy. Holi is also the time when people bid farewell to the lazy winters, the heavy winter clothes and days spent inside the four walls. Holi is more of a socio-cultural festival in India and not exclusively a religious festival. It is associated with music, dance, food and festivities and a frenzy of colours.

The festival also marks the sowing of spring crops and the harvest of winter crops. It marks fertility, growth and progress too. In India, the festival also marks the sense of togetherness, unity and compassion. Young girls and boys would collect the flowers shed by the beautiful trees and annuals as spring is in full bloom and flowers are all over. At home, these flowers were segregated, dried and with the involvement of the entire family, the flowers were crushed in clean mortars and pestles and then powdered and kept in containers. This activity used to engage everyone irrespective of religion, caste, creed or color. It used to be a festival of nature, for nature and a celebration to thank the bounties of nature.

However, this festival over the years has been commercialized and marketed. And to add to it, some infamous Bollywood songs have turned this festival into rudeness and insanity, vandalism and much more. Also, over the years, the natural colours were substituted and gradually replaced by the cheaper chemical and synthetic colours which could be easily procured from the market in plastic packets.

The water balloons that were never a part of the auspicious celebrations suddenly became a part of it. These market-related elements that have nothing to do with the festival, were never appreciated by the generation who had witnessed the basic flavour and essence of the festivities. Holi for our elders was about meeting the relatives and friends, greeting the neighbours and eating all kinds of traditional, native foods and culinary preparations. The Gujias, the papads, dahi ballas and gol gappas prepared from the material available in abundance in the backyards or local markets were shared and enjoyed.

Water balloons, wet holi and pool parties were never a part of traditional Holi celebrations. Indians worship the nature and bounties of nature. Water conservation and methods of conservation of water are mentioned in our traditional texts. It is difficult to believe how and when we left our roots and adopted something that was never ours or is.

It is time to revisit and go back to the roots and celebrate the festival in traditional style and our own flavour that has deep rooted significance. Most importantly, let us use herbal, natural colours and maybe prepare them on our own. Herbal colours do not contain toxins and allergens. These are safe on skin and do not cause any problems. Use coconut or mustard oil on the skin so that colors are easy to rub off later.

Mission LIFE, the flagship programme of the Government of India warrants that we all should adopt a Life Style for the Environment and be Pro-Environment. Most importantly, this Holi, let us play it with dry, natural powder colours, natural gulal and no water. Let us advocate for Zero Water Holi. Water resources are shrinking and water bodies are polluted.

Though, there are no comprehensive studies on wastage and consumption of water during Holi, there are some local, regional studies that suggest that an average household uses three times the water during Holi compared to other days. The water used for playing wet holi is absolute waste and since synthetic colours have been rampantly used for many years, the chemicals get into the soil and water resources, polluting the environment.

The water balloons are made of rubber, and the rubber pieces also get into the soil and water bodies, take years to degrade in the soil and clog the drains. The balloons should be strict ‘No’ as these enter into the viscera of aquatic and terrestrial animals causing pain and even death of the aquatic biota.

Third important thing is the water guns, Pichkaris that come in various shapes, colours big, small and designed and labelled by the manufacturers associating the comic heroes and personalities and are seen all over the shopping malls and markets. Children and young adults are lured to purchase these. These are made from plastic, cheap plastic substitutes, and recycled plastic that can cause harmful effects on health and are a burden on the environment.

Traditional Pichkaris were made of alloys that could last for seasons and were passed on from one generation to another. Brass Pichkaris were used for their durability, and wooden Pichkaris for their sustainability. Promoting the use of these can help our traditional local manufacturers, and the plastic imported from China that is affecting the natural resources and environment, can be easily replaced.

Plastic is a menace and the Government of India is advocating a plastic free lifestyle and ban on single use plastic. This Holi, we all can take a pledge not to use any material in celebration that can cause adverse effects on the environment. Wish everyone a Happy, cheerful and Eco-friendly Holi!

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