Let Holi bring out the best in us, Mumbai!

Representation pic

Holi is upon us and this time, the festival of colours on Tuesday is sure to be celebrated with greater abandon, post Covid-19. During the pandemic, initially festivities were cancelled and then, marked in an extremely sedate way. We are all for getting our lives back but there is something that the pandemic has taught us, lessons that we need to weave into our lives on a daily basis, regardless of pandemic or other crises.

The first is safety and this should be applicable in so many ways this festival. Safety when lighting the Holi fires. Some of these are lit in building compounds near cars. One has to exercise caution and good sense. Ideally, trees should not have been felled for the wood. Only the wood that can be procured from fallen or dead trees should be used. We should in fact, send a message to venerate nature and preserve greens, during this festival.

When playing with colour, avoid throwing water balloons on unsuspecting people. We are not even going into ghastly incidents in trains, but suffice to say that these have decreased yet, need to be obliterated forever.

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Groups playing Holi amongst yourselves, do enjoy but keep an eye on the water buckets and do practise conservation. Keep your fun and frolic restricted to your group as there may be others who do not wish to join in, respect their wishes.

Clean up post playing. This is important in buildings and residential colonies where water and colour is often streaked in passages, lifts and floors, long after festivities. In fact, restraint and responsibility puts the fun into festivals, never takes away from them.

Lastly, do not fall for baiters who oppose any appeals for safety by saying that the Hindu community or their festivals are being targeted. See through this pattern, and puncture that rabble rousing, celebrating with dignity and decorum, in the most joyous and memorable way.