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From Gulal To Green: An Ecofriendly Holi
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The festival of colours is here again and no other festival reflects the myriad moods of India better than Holi.
However, while most of us are busy celebrating with all colours of the rainbow, very few of us give thought to the effect of these celebrations on the environment. I am not one of those hard-fast preachers who strive to ban all celebrations because of noise, water and air pollution.
Hey, I like my festivals as much as any other Indian. I want to be a human canvas on Holi as much as every other person in the neighbourhood, city and country.
However, as I stand by and watch the festivities year after year, a part of me now rebels at the wastage. In a country where thousands die of thirst, in a single day enough water will be spent than is required to quench the thirst of an entire village for a whole year! That to me feels like a blatant disregard of our fellow beings.
So, this year, as I pledge to play a more eco-friendly Holi, here are some ways you can make a difference too!
- Use only natural colours made from flower extracts. Use gulal, pastes and tilaks made from sandalwood, rose petals, turmeric, beetroot and marigold. Such colours are easily available at Khadi Gram Udyog Bhavans in most cities. Not only are the colours more eco-friendly but they are therapeutic for your skin and hair too! Much better than trying to wash out disgusting synthetic goop isn't it?
- Make your own Holi colours at home! Kids love doing this, it's a fun activity and eco-friendly too.
- Try playing a dry Holi without adding water to the mix. Not only will you save a lot of water during play, but also you will conserve water during the clean up. To make the festivities exciting, add some song and dance and games instead.
- If you live in a society or complex, designate an area where everyone gets together and plays Holi. The more the merrier and since only the designated area will require post-play cleanup - that much more water is saved!
- The Holi Dahan bornfires that are burnt on the day before the festival consume huge quantities of wood. If your complex or society has multiple fires try and get them to reduce it to just 1. Better yet, try and group together several societies and light just one big fire in a community area for the entire locality. The lesser the number of fires, the better for the environment.
So hey! Nobody's stopping you from having a great Holi and celebrating to your heart's content. But spare a thought for Mother Nature too.
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Pooja Mittal-Aggarwal
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