Should We Continue Saying ‘Bura Na Mano Holi Hai’?

Holi signifies the victory of good over evil. It ushers in the spring season after a long spell of hard winters and is celebrated largely as a festival of love. It is enjoyed with much fervour and enthusiasm by all kids and adults alike. This festival is especially close to my heart as on this day my daughter first stepped into our house and filled our lives with colours. No wonder, like every kid, she also thoroughly enjoys the fun-filled festival.

As a parent, I am a little concerned as sometimes it can turn ugly and the aftermath can be unpleasant. Sometimes kids can be left with skin allergies, dry and discoloured hair, eye infection and not to forget sometimes a deep psychological scar if safety measures are ignored.

• Brief your kids about how much touching is allowed and up to what extent it is acceptable.
• Teach them to say “NO”.
• Discourage kids from balloon throwing without consent.
• Ask them to raise their voice if they are uncomfortable with any kind of touch or are forced to continue playing.
• Be prudent as a parent and have emergency contact numbers handy in case of a serious mishap.
• Let the celebration not end up with harmful effects. Take proper care beforehand.
• Moisturize your body and hair thoroughly with coconut or olive oil.
• Use sunglasses to protect eyes, use nail paint to protect the nails and hats or scarves to cover up the hair.
• Wear fully covered clothes to safeguard the skin.
• Keep hydrated.
• Use organic and natural colours. Avoid dark colours.

Let’s educate our kids to conserve water by avoiding watercolours and safeguard street dogs and pets.
Let’s indulge ourselves in the beauty of our colourful nature. Why not play pushp Holi? Let’s indulge in the mouthwatering food associated with the festival like dahi vade, gujiya, mal pua, kachori and thandai. Let’s take all measures to keep the fervour alive in our kids and not turn it into a nightmare. Have a safe and happy Holi.
So let’s grab some gulaal and shout out “Holi hai”!!

Image via Pixabay

Sangeeta Srivastava

Esoteric

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