As Holi celebrations return, after a two-year pandemic pause, they are heralded with drums, colour and a fresh sense of eco-consciousness.
The festival of colours and spring is a public celebration with merry groups carrying drums and other instruments, visiting parks and temples in the locality. Many contemporary Indian street foods such as dahi bhalle,channa bhatura, gujiya and malpua have their roots in Holi. This year, with the festival falling on March 18, celebrations are coloured by an awareness of sustainability, zero-waste, water conservation, and biodegradability.
Vegan gulab jamuns made with fox nuts | Photo Credit: Rare Earth-The Organic Store
Founder of the all-vegan store, Rare Earth-The Organic Store, Shammi Sethi is holding a vegan Holi party at the store and cafe, in Khar West in Mumbai. “We educate people on veganism, about its benefits on health and environment,” he says. “We will be celebrating the festival in keeping with our vegan lifestyle. Thandai , a must-have drink on the occasion, made with nut milk, oats, cow peas and pulses will be served, with vegan biriyani and mock meat rogan josh.”
He is also introducing for the first time vegan gulab jamuns, made with makhana or fox nuts. Other eco-friendly measures are the use of natural colours made with turmeric and beetroot. “We are conscious about every excess, “says Shammi adding that their’s will largely be a “dry “ Holi with little use of water. According to him, there has been a definite rise in vegan lifestyle during the pandemic and it has made people “more conscious,” of saving natural resources.
Sagar Trivedi, Manager, Paggy Yash & Friends, Bhopal, agrees that “everyone is more mindful than before”, even as he prepares to host Holiland 2.0 in Bhopal. He is expecting a crowd of between 600 and 800 people. “People are enthused that there is a party and they can live it up after two years of being house-bound. Holi is a more physical function with lots of hugging and dancing,” he says, adding that the venue, Vatika is a half acre plot that can host 2,500 people.
Unlike the last occasion, Holiland 1.0 in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 lockdown was imposed, they are using water mist sprays this time that reduces water wastage by 50 % in comparison to water used in rain showers, says Trivedi. “Earlier we had rain showers that used almost 15 to 20,000 litres of water for a party as large as this.”
Holiland, which is a day-long event from 11 am to 5 pm, will feature the Braj Holi of Mathura, which will be played with flowers. “People are now conscious of the environment, of waste disposal,” Trivedi says adding that they have tied up with Vrindavan, a cattle shelter that makes compost from waste. “The leaves will be used as cattle feed, while the flowers will be used for composting. We have installed dry and wet waste bins all over.” It is mandatory for the stalls at the venue to use only recyclable crockery and cutlery, he adds.
A drink made with chilled milk, ground bhang(hemp) leaves, dry fruits and sugar, Thandai, is traditionally had for Holi
Holi in the hills
Travel Vlogger, cyclist and trekker Satya Saggar has limited the number of people at his ‘Kab Hai Holi’ at Bir, the paragliding hub of India, in Himachal Pradesh to 50. This maiden event is also a campaign for zero-waste trekking.
“The last three years have been hard and we have lost touch with the festival of Holi. This year, everyone wants to celebrate, even if it is with a mask on,” says Satya, who has just completed a Kashmir-to-Kanyakumari solo-bike trip. A campaign, he says, “is more impactful when associated with a festival.” A typical Himachali platter will be on offer: “Himachal thandai, made with hand-pounded freshly ground bhang (hemp) leaves mixed in cold milk and dry fruit paste. And a thali with local cuisine, puris in which bhang is mixed with the dough,” says Shree Shirke, co-ordinator.
In Hyderabad, Nasir Siddique is expecting over 1000 people at his party, Rang Rasiya at Sainikpuri. Last year, he had around half the number due to the health protocols in place. With restrictions being lifted, the second-year student at Amity thinks the celebrations will be larger, more rambunctious but also mindful. According to him, it will be so because families- senior citizens and children will be part of the event. He has laid out the works, from rain dance to water balloons but is using only organic colours.
