Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Holi hai! In Mumbai, Taliban, cigarettes to be set ablaze

March 05, 2015 16:37 IST

Taliban and swine flu are the evils Mumbai wants to ward off as it preps to light the Holi bonfire, Anant Salvi finds out.

Wonder why bonfires are lit on the eve of Rang Panchami (festival of colours) amid chants of ‘Holi hai’?

Legend has it that the pyres symbolise the death of Holika, a demoness who was charred to death while attempting to kill her nephew Prahlad, an ardent follower of Lord Vishnu.  Prahlad survived, signifying that good triumphs over evil.

For centuries, the tradition has been followed. But Holika has now transformed from the demoness in Vedic scriptures to the modern-day devil.

Anant Salvi visits pockets of central Mumbai as they prep to ward off the evil on Thursday night.             

A holi effigy

An effigy of a terrorist will be set on fire at Worli's BDD chawl. This terrorist represents the brutal Taliban gunmen who went on a rampage at a school in Pakistan's Peshawar killing 132 children in December last year.      

A holi effigy

Suresh, a technician from the chawl, has been taking time out from routine chores and creating these effigies for 25 years now. Here, he is using a wire frame and disposed newspapers to make the effigy.

A holi effigy

The wire frame is then wrapped with white paper before it is painted. With the help of other enthusiastic neighbours, Suresh works on the effigy late into the night.  

A holi effigy

The effigy of a terrorist will be hosted on to the Holi pyre. The message is clear -- eradicate terrorism.

A holi effigy

The residents of the chawls, most of them belonging to lower-income groups, use Holi as an opportunity to send out a positive social message. A neighbouring chawl will set ablaze a cigarette. Smoking kills, so let's kick the butt.  

A holi effigy

Another effigy has the head of a pig atop the Holi pyre. Let us fight the spread of swine flu, which has claimed more than 1,000 lives in India, say Worli's residents.   

Anant Salvi for Rediff.com in Mumbai