HOLI, is an age-old traditional celebration. It is also known as the festival of colours, an intriguing religious and cultural event that involves much more than merely throwing colourful paint into the sky.
The Holi Celebration is a means to celebrate the arrival of spring and the conclusion of winter. Moreover, it remarks the victory of the good over the evil and an opportunity for individuals to start over and let all their inhibitions go.
Holi, the festival of colours, is a day to celebrate because the vibrancy of colours is a trait that brings a lot of positivity into our lives. It is also frequently referred to as the “festival of love” because on this day, people can get together and set aside all grudges and all forms of hatred.
The grand Indian festival, which begins in the evening of Purnima, or the day of the full moon in the month of Falgun, will last a full day and a night.
A bonfire is lighted on the initial day of the celebration to represent the burning away of all the negative and the igniting of a bright and colourful new future. They relax and enjoy each other’s company, make time to dance and enjoy. It is enjoyed enthusiastically throughout the India.
But is HOLI for everyone?
Holi is a festival for everyone. People of all caste, region, religion, colour, gender, and age are free to celebrate HOLI, the festival of Joy and Happiness. But not everyone is able to celebrate it even though if he/she wants too.
In India, society is vast. People of same society lives in a determinable boundary and share the same culture. Ranging from the Rich Business man, resourceful and powerful backgrounds, to struggling middle class families to the helpless, needy, below par, and poor individuals. People of all region, language, dynasty, believes, etc. lives in Harmony.
But not everything is as good as it looks and appears like. God came to the world for everyone, to live a happy and peaceful life. But man himself in greed to find and sustain his own happiness and enjoyment feeds on others compulsion and obligation. And it can be seen majorly in the lives of all Domestic Workers.
Domestic workers are commonly referred to as ‘servants’ and ‘maids’ workers can feel insecure and beneath others. This has furthered the status of disgrace given to the services offered by them. Part-time employees frequently put in up to 8 to 10 hours a day in 3 to 4 different homes. The employer controls wages, leave policies, medical benefits, and downtime.
Domestic workers in India often compelled to rely on their employer because they lack legal protection as employees under Indian labour laws. In India, most domestic employees are illiterate, have little education, and are unskilled.
These workers are prohibited from many things like rights, freedom, status, dignity, etc. And one of them is celebrating the festival.
During Holi, there are holiday in schools, colleges, offices, banks, etc. Many people take leave and enjoy this festival with their families. Students return to their home to enjoy the festival of Colour with their loved ones. But it is not the story of everyone in this society. Not everyone is as privileged as many are.
We celebrate Holi because:
- There are domestic workers as Servant’s, Maid’s and Bai’s in our house cleaning and arranging everything.
- There are Doctor’s, Nurse’s and other medical frontline working day and night saving lives during the Holi.
- There are Bus conductor’s, Auto Walla’s, Ricksha Walla’s and all other traveling agencies workers, ready to take us to our home all day and night.
- There are Swiggy, Zomato, etc delivery boys, on duty to deliver tasty, hot, and yummy food to us.
- There Nagar Nigam workers like Road sweepers, waste pickers, door to door waste collectors, sewers cleaners, etc.
- There are Police workers on their duty to help anyone who is in needs of help.
- There are all kinds of Soldier like Army, Navy and Air-force on the borders fighting for their beloved country.
- There and medical and chemist shop for the supply of medicines to the needs.
- There are railway employees like, loco-pilot, lineman, TT, station master and his team on their respective duties.
- There is milkman, newspaper boy, Gas Walla, Mali Walla, Dobhi, Press Walla, etc. working form morning to evening to meet their daily wages.
- There are fruits and vegetable venders selling as much as possible to celebrate Holi with their family.
- There are child labour working as full-time maid or babysitter or elder care in unknown places.
- Bodyguard and defence worker for whom safety come before Holi.
- There are call centre whose prime objects is to fulfil the consumer’s demand.
- There are security guard at schools, colleges, banks, ATM’s, compound, society, apartments, etc. on duty for the security of people and place.
- There are drivers who are on duty for the transportation of their boss and there family.
- There are Hotel staffs, Restaurant staffs, resort staffs, who are on duty to provide the best service to their consumers.
Not everyone enjoys this festival. Not everyone is able to celebrate it due to their occupation. Moreover, there are families who are not able to meet their basic need for food and house. Results in going for work to make their daily wages. Furthermore, there are people who often work in the festival hours to cut their daily wages.
Today, if you are celebrating this festival of Colour and Happiness, remember that there are people who are working in the festival hours so we, privileged individual can celebrate it with our family and loved ones.
On this Festive day of Holi, try to bring Joy and Happiness in the house of people who are in work or cannot able to enjoy this Festival.
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