My Holi at your expense !

Posted by meeta parmar on Mar 10, 2010 in Personal Accounts |

I was in Delhi a week before Holi. To be precise, I was staying in Amar colony, near Lajpat nagar.

I was shocked to see how children, age ranging from 5 yrs and above created nuisance perhaps in the name of ‘burra na mano holi hai.”

It was disgusting to see children from so – called educated families and going to good/ elite schools totally disregarded basic social curtsies and safety norms.Since a week prior to Holi they threw water-balloons at unsuspecting passersby. I saw a missed water balloon fall close to a young girl who was going to college. A balloon hit a scooterist’s pillion seat! I dreaded to think if he had lost balance and met with an accident or if the balloon hit the girl’s eyes/ ears instead and the impact damaged for the rest of her life !!

A “presswali’s” ironed clothes got wet when she was on her way to deliver them – I’m sure she had to face the temper of her clients! There were boys (and also girls, though not that rowdy)in groups who carried colors in cold-drink bottles and threw at buses /cars/ anybody they fancied!!

I talked to some of those children about the hazards of such kind of celebration and i must say they hesitated for a while but soon thrill prevailed over their better sense and i was not surprised to see that. I was not surprised because when they had the green signal from their guardians,who was i to tell them? I did try to share my thoughts with some parents about the issue,but their reaction was either indifferent or they looked indulgently at their loving children and some even gave me hard stares!!

At a shop i heard a young , affluent and educated- looking man insist that he must buy “pucca color”so that his friends have a tough time removing it. The idea of making others suffer was predominant in his celebration of Holi !!’

I felt sad that people in swanky cars, expensive clothes put their children in best schools,pay heavy fees to send them for tutions and are very concerned about the marks their children score ( incidentally, i overheard one of those kids got more than 85% in General Knowledge– what a irony !!), but they are not concerned about inculcating basic values and discipline in their children.

I also wondered if schools reminded the students about the ‘Dos & Donts ‘ of celebration before every festival and subtly warn them that unruly behaviour will not be appreciated. Children should be taught that celebrations should not be at the cost of others discomfort and risk of harm.

My Holi at your expense !

Related Post : – Of Cannabis & Lawlessness