Water balloons, pich karis, colored buckets of water, a vibrant burst of colors! Aren’t these what Holi is all about? A day of celebration, everyone endorses Holi right from our very own Bollywood to the boy next door.
But on serious introspection, has anyone ever thought about it’s effect on the environment? Let’s say each person uses just one bucket of water to play Holi! And a bucket means up to 15 litres. If an average of 5 lakh people do celebrate Holi in a city like Hyderabad, it adds on to a wastage of 75 lakh litres of water.
And surely, who plays Holi with just one bucket of water? So just triple the amount of water wasted! Mind-boggling figures! Add to this, the list of skin allergies and children choking up due to excessive colour powder.
Ok, while we do not want to be a big spoil sport, we give you some important tips on how to celebrate an eco-friendly Holi and have the time of your lives.
Why is Holi celebrated with splashes of water and colours?
Holi marks the arrival of a new season, of hope, joy and fertility! It also marks the triumph of good over evil, with the burning of Holika, the bad demoness. To celebrate this victory, we play with colors, which symbolize purity, friendships, love and the time to mark a new beginning of plenty.
And don’t forget to hog on Holi delicacies like puran poli, dahi wadas etc. 🙂
How to celebrate an Eco Friendly Holi
1.Make your Own Colours
You can make your own natural, skin friendly colors at home. Trust me, everyone will love you for this! There’s no end to the myriad colours you can make!
Use gram flour, turmeric, sandal wood and henna powder to make a rainbow of colours. You can also produce vibrant colours using marigold, Gulmohar and beetroot.
Need a few tips on how to make colours? Here you go!
- Dry rose petals on a newspaper and powder them. Use this as Gulal.
- Dry flowers like marigold and chrysanthemum and grind them to get different shades of oranges and yellows.
- Use spinach, coriander or mint to get lovely greens.
- Soak grated beetroot in one liter of water overnight. Dilute according to your requirement the next day.
You can also get organic colours from sites like Shopclues for a festival discount from here.
2.Make it a ‘Phoolon ki Holi’
Do you know many parts of the country like Lucknow and Pushkar celebrate Holi with flowers? Locals get dressed as Radha and Krishna and use flower petals to greet each other. But an important point to note, make arrangements to get the used flowers cleaned and they shouldn’t be dumped into the water.
3.Use less water and Balloons
If you can’t compromise on using water and colours, at least, decide in advance how much water you will use.
Instead of making use of buckets of water, creating unnecessary garbage, set a maximum limit on water use beforehand. Don’t cross the limit! Though it looks fun, we believe most people actually get irritated when they are drenched in loads of water, so keep it to a minimum.
4. Play Community Holi
Pick a common spot outdoors and gather all friends and family in your apartment. It will reduce the mess created and also the wastage. Many apartment residents across India have taken over unique causes like planting saplings to make up for the eco damage they cause on Holi.
Better still, visit an Old Age Home or Orphanage and play Tilak Holi with them. Carry gifts for the inmates, make some delicious food for them and share in their happiness. What could make your celebrations better, right?
You will not only end up polluting the environment less, but you also end up making someone’s day!
5.Celebrate a Waterless Holi
A dry Holi is one with no water. No pichkaris and water balloons, no buckets of water, just celebrate with dry coloured powder. Take a shower afterwards! That’s just a bucket or two gone. Amazing, right?
Here are some skin care tips for Holi
- Wear a cap or apply coconut oil on hair. It prevents the colour from penetrating deep inside hair roots.
- Always wear dark coloured clothes. This will make washing them easier.
- Apply plenty of moisturizer which will prevent colours from damaging your skin directly.
- Apply a thick coat of nail polish to prevent damage to nails.
- To fade the colours after playing Holi, just apply a mixture of gram flour, milk and lime juice and watch the colours go away. Settle for a bath after that.
- Use a mild face wash to rinse your face of colours.
Follow these simple steps and have a great time. Let your year be as colourful as the colours you use.