Gone are the days when we would use water canons and spoil the building facade, and then get [mildly] bashed for doing so!
Gone are the days when we would throw water balloons on every person that walked or drove by our house!
Today, it is the time when we pay hefty sums to get a water tanker, just to meet our daily water supplies!
Today, is the time when even the most lethargic of the governments are, at the least, talking about sourcing water from ponds and lakes in the near by villages!
Today, is the time when, for once, the entire city [probably the entire country] has awaken to the fact that - WE ARE RUNNING SHORT OF WATER!!
Do you think, in times like these you can go out and celebrate Holi just like the yester years?
Do you think, in times like these you can waste those precious gallons on first coloring your mates, and then on getting rid of it yourself?
Do you think, in times like these you can afford to waste water and yet not be termed as a CRIMINAL?
Friends, traditions change, cultures evolve, and even the most closed societies open up with time - then why can't we? For once, why can't we all stand together, and put a firm foot forward and oppose the wet Holi celebrations!! In times when our rivers are nothing but vast stretches of dry land, our lakes only muddy pits, our bore wells only deep holes - why can't you and I celebrate Holi in ways like never before!
I remember the water shortage last year. Quite a few of us understood the gravity of the situation and moved on to celebrate dry Holi - using only gulal. No doubt we saved a lot of water playing dry Holi; but what about the clothes we spoiled with colors; didn't we waste so much water trying to rinse them? It was like, doing all the hard work to get to the top, and then jumping off the very last step!
This time things are even worse - we can't even afford the dry Holi celebration. This time let us all celebrate Tilak Holi - let us all greet our family and friends with a colored Tilak! Let us act like responsible citizens and show the world that "we care". Let us join the Tilak Holi campaign started by Dainik Bhaskar group, as it is about time we finally show our concern for the planet.
Here are a few ideas how we can celebrate Holi this year:
- On the night before Dhulendi, enjoy bon-fire with you family.
- Greet you family and friends with a colored Tilak. Use eco-friendly colors made out of kesar, turmeric, flowers etc.
- Indulge youself in some delicacies - gujias, puran-polis, kaanji, dahi-wada
- Visit you friends and relatives, and spread the word about Tilak Holi
Wishing you a very Happy Tilak Holi!!
