Holi celebrations in Bengaluru take a sustainable turn amid water crisis Premium

Holi, a prominent festival in the northern states of the country, has become part of the popular culture among youngsters in Bengaluru, with the increasing influx of workers from there to Karnataka.

Holi, the festival of colours, is a celebration of love and spring. Pichkaris (water guns), water filled balloons, pool parties, rain dance, special foods, Thandai and a lot more are associated with the festival, though this year there is a restriction on using excessive water in celebrations amidst a huge water crisis in Bengaluru.

Holi, a prominent festival in the northern states of the country, has become part of the popular culture among youngsters in Bengaluru, with the increasing influx of workers from there to Karnataka. The festival, decades ago, was celebrated only in the Marwadi pockets of the city, which eventually became one of the most happening events of the year with many migrants from various states spread across the city celebrating it.

However, this year, it was dry and large a “dry holi” following the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) putting out guidelines for celebrations in the city. The civic body urged commercial and recreational centres not to use Cauvery or borewell water for pool parties or rain dances to celebrate the festival of colour. Despite the BWSSB’s urge to save water, there have been allegations of some commercial establishments organising pool parties and rain dances around the city.

But those celebrating at home have decided to keep this year’s Holi as dry and minimal as possible. Speaking to The Hindu, Sumitra Solanki, a resident of V.V. Puram, said, “Holi is one of our biggest and most enjoyed festivals. We celebrate Holi from early morning till late at night every year. But this year we have decided to keep it short due to the water shortage in the city. We celebrated the festival only for a couple of hours in the afternoon within our close circles. Of course, there were limited water balloons and pichkaris for the children, but we tried to keep the celebrations as dry as possible.” 

Abhinandan R., a resident of a gated community in Ramagondanahalli near Yelahanka, said their association decided to have a water-free Holi this year, “Our apartment celebrates Holi like no other. Every year we have a grand celebration, as children are all just beginning their summer vacation. This year too it was a big celebration, but it was completely water-free, as we do not want to contribute to the existing water crisis in the city. We requested all the residents to get organic colours and say no to artificial colours, as it is easy to wash off and does not require too much water in the shower.“