Himadri Kalita
Holi, which is popularly known as the festival of colors, is also referred to as the festival of love as it celebrates the love of Radha-Krishna and the festival of spring as it is celebrated during the spring season.
It is one of the popular and significant festivals of Hinduism where people put colors on each other.
People are also seen playing with mud, water, and so on.
However, amid this enjoyment, people often forget a vital element. A term that is important for everyone to remember irrespective of gender. It is often noticed that it is not sought and due to this many crimes take place across India.
The vital term is none other than ‘CONSENT’. The Cambridge dictionary describes the term as “to agree to do something, or to allow someone to do something.”
It is often witnessed that some people misuse the occasion and unnecessarily get involved in sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior irrespective of gender.
There are also many cases reported where a few ill-minded people under the guise of playing Holi put color on others without seeking consent.
Parents and guardians, especially of girl-child, become more cautious and concerned during this time as they do not wish their daughter become prey at the hands of these lewd and ill-minded people.
A few years back, one of my acquaintances faced a sexual harassment issue on the occasion of Holi. She was preparing for board exams when her neighbors rang the doorbell of her house. Her father opened the door and saw their neighbors waiting with colors on their hands to play Holi.
The neighbors requested my acquaintance to come out and spare a few minutes from her study time and play holi with them. Upon several requests from her elders, she decided to go out and play holi for half an hour.
While playing Holi, an elderly man approached her and aggressively applied colors without seeking her consent. Taking advantage of the crowd, the malafide attempted to touch her private parts.
The incident is imprinted on her mind till now and is afraid to play Holi even with her female friends.
Likewise, several women have gone through such kind of incidents due to which they hesitate to take part in Holi celebration.
Also, Holi is a festival of colors to be played among people and not animals. Animals tend to have an allergic reaction to colors. This is ignored despite several warnings from animal welfare departments and social media posts.
Many stray dogs, cats are seen engulfed with colors, and are unable to express their distress as they don’t have a voice.
According to doctors, the allergic reactions make their skin itchy causing them discomfort for several days post Holi.
Moreover, there are a few types of color that are available in the market which are dangerous for human beings as well. The human skin is a fragile part of our body and these low-rated colors can cause serious allergic reactions.
These colors also take a long time to be completely removed from the skin, making it more prone to skin diseases.
It is pertinent to mention that such kind of colors should be banned from the market as cases of skin diseases and hospital visits are continuing to surge due to the same.
Holi is supposed to be festival of joy to brighten up our lives just like the colors, however, few people tend to spoil the original spirit of the festival.
