City revellers plan dry Holi to conserve water during crisis

Mohita Kumar, a businesswoman and resident of Kilpauk has been celebrating Holi with friends and family for years. 

“We will have a grand party with traditional north-Indian food and play with colours. We also have a small tub, with coloured water for the kids to have a splash. This year, we are facing a crisis and have been asked to reduce the consumption of water. The owners of the residential complex have also decided to limit supply of water during specific times of the day. So, this year we are planning to host traditional north-Indian lunch and just have dry colours for the sake of tradition.” The story is no different in Sowcarpet, which will be filled with colours during Holi. 

“The celebration is big here every year. We buy colours worth thousands and go shop-hopping to colour each other. This year, it we will be a low-key affair. Instead of sticky colours that require water guns, we will make do with dry colours. Taking the colour off consumes a lot of water as well,” says Anand Kumar, a businessman.