Stars call for dry Holi amid water crisis in Maharashtra

A school teacher dressed as Lord Krishna uses a water gun during Holi celebrations at Shri Ram Ashram Public School in Amritsar yesterday.  Holi, also called the Festival of Colours, is a popular spring festival observed in India at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month. The festival will be celebrated today.

Agencies/Mumbai

Bollywood stars have joined calls for Mumbai to temper celebrations and reduce water wastage during a riotous Hindu festival today, as millions of people face their worst drought in decades.

The Holi festival takes place today at a time when central parts of Maharashtra are reeling under a severe water shortage with no rain due until the monsoon in June.

Revellers enjoying the “festival of colours” have been urged to cut down on water usage during the festival, which is normally celebrated with wild “rain dances” and the throwing of buckets of water, water-filled balloons and paint.

“Water shortage in Maharashtra... and it’s only March. What will happen in Summer? Save water! Play a dry Holi!!” cinema veteran Amitabh Bachchan wrote to his hordes of followers on Twitter.

Holi, a public holiday, marks the arrival of spring and is especially popular in northern India and other parts of the world with large Hindu communities.

Bollywood is known to throw lavish Holi parties, but celebrations are expected to be toned down this year. Television show producers say they have cut back their depictions of the festival to avoid water wastage.

Actor Riteish Deshmukh tweeted that the “need of the hour is to save water,” while popular TV host Mini Mathur wrote: “The mere thought of rain dances in the wake of the water crisis is creepy and tasteless.”

Actor Hrithik Roshan has decided to stay away from the celebrations due to the water shortage, a sources said.

The 39-year-old will not waste water by being part of the celebrations.

“Hrithik won’t be celebrating Holi as a mark of solidarity with those who are suffering from acute water shortage in Maharashtra. Instead, he will only use only a small amount of gulaal (coloured powder) to apply a ‘shagun tika’ as part of the traditional ritual,” the source said.

“Even other members of the Roshan family will keep the celebrations low key. They will take part in the morning puja and then spend some quiet time together,” the source said.

University students in Mumbai have taken to the streets to campaign for a water-free festival, although calls for a dry Holi were deemed “absurd” and a lip-service measure by food and trade policy analyst Devinder Sharma.

“If people are so concerned about drought, ban washing of cars in the cities,” he said on Twitter.

Municipal authorities are not planning to cut water supplies on the day of Holi despite calls for them to do so, but they are urging moderation and reportedly not allowing tankers to supply extra water.

A similar problem was faced during 2010’s Holi festival when a weak monsoon the previous year left Mumbai with a chronic lack of water.

Authorities attribute this year’s crisis to two successive poor monsoons, although critics blame official ineptitude and corruption for exacerbating the natural water shortage.

Meanwhile, in a tragic beginning to the celebrations, one man was killed and five injured after they fell down from the footboard of a running train in Mumbai when some people threw a chemical-laced Holi powder at them, police said.

The incident took place around 8pm on Monday night when the victims were travelling on the footboard of a crowded Dadar-Thane train.

“The powder caused severe injuries and a burning sensation in the eyes of the commuters and they lost their grip and balance and fell out of the running train,” the police said.

Some people threw a yellow powder at them from a train speeding in the opposite direction, the police said.

G Nityanand Ganpati, a 26-year-old resident of Chembur, died from the fall, while at least five others were injured, including two who are reported to be serious.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) have collected samples of the yellow powder and sent for chemical analysis.

l President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari yesterday greeted people of the country on the occasion of Holi and hoped the festival will further strengthen unity and harmony.

In his message, the president said the colours of Holi were a reflection of the country’s diversity and multi-cultural heritage.

“This festival which marks the advent of spring, is a harbinger of joy, hope and fulfilment for all. The myriad colours of Holi are a reflection of our diversity and multi-cultural heritage,” the president said.