My childhood was spent in an area which faced acute water shortage. The water we got from the municipality would only be available for drinking & cooking purposes. For washing & other purposes, we had to get water from nearby wells / tube wells. And it was not possible to get water from these sources daily / frequently. Mom did all the rationing of the water. We bathed only once in two days, shampoo was obviously once a week. Clothes were also washed on alternate days. There was no question of playing holi. Just imagine how much water would be required to play & wash later! Guests coming at home would always be stressful for mom!
Now, the situation is not that bad. But the horrors of past have made us cautious while using water. People who get water 24*7 at their place will never understand this. One advise of playing Dry Holi & there is tremendous outrage!
“Are we going to send this water to drought stricken areas?”
“Playing Holi without water is like celebrating tomatino without tomatoes” so on & so forth.
But stop & think. What if the water you saved by playing Dry Holi actually reached the Drought stricken areas.. Will you be willing to avoid using water to play holi? And Holi is supposed to be festival of colours. What is important Colour or Water?
Can we not empathise with our fellow citizens? Just imagine not being able to get drinking water for couple of hours, let alone for days..
No one is putting a ban on Fun. But can we have fun sensibly? Can we not waste water not only during holi, but even otherwise? If the consumption is less, won’t we able to share the water with the underprivileged ones?
Can we take a pledge on this World Water Day:
1. To get the leaking taps repaired as soon as noticed
2. To collect the water from AC & use it to water plants / wash cars
3. Cut down on leisurely showers / shaves
4. Not to let the water keep running while brushing teeth
5. Implement rainwater harvesting systems to collect rain water and use it in future
6. Use Minimum water when playing holi
Remember!!!
