Though it is a festival that is hard to hate, Holi does have some haters. Can’t believe it right? How can you hate colors and games and angelic white clothes? Well, everyone’s got their own preferences after all. So, this article is dedicated to those of you who want to avoid Holi celebrations (at any cost).
Here goes.
1. Don’t turn up
If you know of a holi celebration happening somewhere, don’t go within a one mile radius of that place. In fact, step out as little as possible. If you have to go out, avoid large gatherings and don’t hover around at public places. It’s Holi, a bunch of colorful people could turn up and start flinging gulaal in a matter of minutes.
Actually, your safest bet would be to take off work, stay at home, lock the doors with a deadbolt and get Heimdall to guard the door (if he’s not busy with Asgard).
2. Wear protective clothing
Holi falls on a Monday this year. You’ll have to turn up for work, finding excuses to skip work is very unprofessional. So let’s not do that. Now, dressing for any occasion is very important. Especially if the occasion requires fleeing at lightning fast speeds. Remember the Sherlock coat? It’s black and all kinds of safe. You may even look like a superhero when you’re dodging gulaal sprays.
If you don’t have a coat, you can make do with a raincoat.
3. Head to south India (The extreme souths)
People in the south celebrate Holi a lot less than their counterparts. If you’ve been dying for a vacation this could be the ideal time to stroll around the beaches and hill stations of the beautiful South. While you’re there, avoid schools and colleges. Kids do celebrate Holi. So avoid company of students.
Or even better. Run to another planet. You know the saying about Indians being found in every corner of the world? Let’s not cross paths with a Holi celebrating Indian.
4. Keep your private vehicles safe
People sometimes get reckless and throw colors around everything and anything they see. If you park out in the open, your poor vehicle could be victim to random splashes of colors and cleaning it could be a Herculean task.
Using public transport is an option – it will keep your private vehicle safe and also help with the pollution. However, it could get you colored. This would be the ideal occasion to follow point no.2. Hail protective clothing!
5. Politely request people to exempt you from the celebrations
It’s ok to tell people how you feel about Holi. Don’t worry about offending anyone. If you do not like it, you have every right to ask to not be a part of it. In fact, there is a sizeable bunch of people out there who do not like holi for various reasons. We’re sure your friends and family will be respectful of your wishes and keep you out of it.
On A Serious Note
Holi is indeed a popular and fun festival. But there are some valid reasons why people prefer to not to celebrate it. Here are some of them.
It invades personal space
Not everyone wants to have things smeared on them or thrown at them. It’s their body, they may dislike the idea of getting dunked in colors.
Gulaal irritates the skin
No matter how organic the colors are, some people still get rashes. And some colors don’t wash off easily, in fact some even leave a stain on the skin. So if you are a pro-holi person, we request you to take an effort to avoid throwing colors on random people or people who haven’t explicitly given you permission to color them.
It’s unsafe for animals
This is yet another reason why large groups of people are coming forward to oppose public holi celebrations. Poor street animals fall victim to the activities. The color doesn’t wash away easily from their bodies. It could also go into their mouths and noses causing long term health issues.
Holi celebrations involve water wastage
A lot, and we stress on “lot”, of water is wasted on the day of Holi. As a race, we’re heading towards serious water crunch. So what seems like a silly, single day, is something that does sufficient damage in the larger picture.
Festivals are about happiness – let’s keep everyone happy
At the end of the day, everyone needs to be allowed to choose their happiness. This translates as – allow people to celebrate as little or as much as they want. The best way to go about it would be to gather people who maintain a similar school of thought. You can have all the fun you want that way.
So, here’s wishing everyone a happy & non-annoying holi 2017! Cheers!
P.S. Don’t forget to check our exciting offers & products for this month.