A tough look at celebrating Holi : Let positive changes come
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: March 18 2015 -

The festival got over more than a week back. For full five days, that is from March 5 to March 9, the Imphal based newspapers shut shop and work resumed only on March 10.

A welcome reprieve for the journalists, one may add, but not surprisingly there has been a heated debate over the five day break, with even an intense discussion aired over the All India Radio, Imphal station some years back.

Different takes there have been and the media in general is also divided over this question.

It was with a reason why the major newspapers in Imphal decided to have only a three day break during Holi some years back.

However this idea had to be shelved quickly as very few distributors or hawkers turned up to collect the day’s papers and deliver them to the subscribers.

Piles of undistributed newspapers greeted the newsmen the next day and it was not a pleasant sight at all.

The hawkers too had a reason for not coming to collect the day’s papers.

With so many young and not so young girls blocking the roads and collecting money, it did not make any financial sense to try and earn a day’s earning by collecting and delivering the day’s papers to the subscribers.

A practise that is more acute in the rural areas but then again no urban area is spared from the practise of stopping passers by and collecting money from them.

This is still relevant today and what takes the cake is the fact that this practise starts days ahead of the actual festival. A point which no one can deny.

There is still no indication that things will change and interestingly, as in the past, the Holi fever is still on, with many localities still organising Thabal Chongba in the night.

If the past is any indication then this will stretch on till Sajibu Nongma Panba. The time is perhaps right in taking a relook at this practise.

There have been some positive changes in the past few decades.

Sports meet has taken over and from the days spent in merry making and splashing colours, it is now more about youngsters coming out and competing with each other in the sports fields.

A nursery to hone the young talents, if one may add.

However there has been no change in the practise of stopping passers by and collecting money and this can be an unseemly sight at times.

Roadside Romeos too take advantage of the merry making, targeting young girls and women.

No wonder then at times the very purpose of celebrating the festival of colours gets lost in the noise and din of merry making which can be loud and raucous.

Like any other festival, Holi comes with its bright and ugly side but there are times when the ugly side far outweigh the bright side.

It is this which needs serious consideration.

Let the youngsters have fun but no reason to throw decency to gutter. Let there also be a time to celebrate the festival.

Defeats the very purpose of celebrating a festival if the festivities and merry making stretch on for days with no end in sight.

Come next year and let’s hope to see some positive changes.