No pichkaris, no water balloons or bags, no gulal — in short, a dry Holi with no colours. Moving over wet-and-wild Holi, residents of Cuffe Parade will celebrate the festival without water to protect the environment.
"We play Holi by throwing petals on each other. This way, we will avoid wastage of water. Once we are done with celebration, the petals will be composted and converted into manure," said Padmakar Nandekar, secretary general of Cuffe Parade Residents Association (CPRA).
Embrace a dry-and-delightful festival by opting for the Tilak Holi. It is the most simple and convenient way to celebrate the festival by just applying tilak on the forehead. This will save the tons of water used for celebration and later for cleaning and will also keep the environment clean.
On the day of the festival, around 200 members of the association will gather in a garden maintained by them to celebrate the festival where 10 kgs of rose and marigold petals are waiting to be thrown at each other. Ones who want to celebrate it the traditional way, opt for tilak Holi. "Moving away from throwing colours on each other, we opt for a simple tilak Holi, where we apply tilak on each other," added Nandekar.
Another group that has adopted eco-friendly practices to celebrate the festival is the members of Puncham Group, an NGO engaged in social and welfare activities. "We feel Holi a festival that removes boundaries and spread happiness. Colours are harsh on human health and the environment as well. Thus, playing it with petals is the best option," said Rani Podar of the group that plays woman-only Holi.
On the other hand, some will be sticking to the age-old tradition. Some will celebrate the festivals a day before the rest of the city.
Kolis in the village of Worli Koliwada are amongst those who celebrate the festival one day before. "We celebrate Kombar Holi a day before. Women from the community take the lead in these celebrations, where they take a matki (pot) on their head and roam around the village. They carry coconut, sugarcane among other things and offer in the holy pyre lit in the market place," said Marshal Koli from the Worli Koliwada.
