Holi – a festival that is deeply ingrained in the psyche of the Indian! The riot of colors, the fun, the revelry and the boisterousness are all part of our childhood, and for many, well into adulthood. It is a ritual, that many of us enjoy, year after year.

Yet for all it’s emotional and religious appeal, it is also a festival that is fraught with danger for the unsuspecting and unwary child and his equally clueless parent. This is one festival, that one should be fully aware of lurking dangers, that can maim, and rarely even kill an individual, who may be just an innocent bystander.  Children are especially vulnerable, and as caretakers, we must do our best to anticipate and then avoid common pitfalls that can lead to tragic consequences.

Few days prior to Holi festival

Shopping sensibly

You need to make sure that you think about what you are buying for your kids and then giving them the stuff that you have bought! If you have bought dangerous stuff, your kids will play with dangerous stuff!

• Discuss with parents of children with whom your child will play – There is no point in you being super cautious, only to realize that all those precautions have literally gone down the drain, because your child was exposed to toxic chemicals or water missiles that other parents bought for their kids. Social media groups should be used for these purposes, not only for stupid jokes, ज्ञान (sermons), what we ate etc!!!
• Colors: Please use natural colors only – the stronger colors are all toxic chemicals, that can blind, that can cause breathing difficulties, or even get absorbed through skin and cause generalized poisoning with damage to liver or kidneys
• Water balloons: These are missiles! They can be hurled with great force and momentum and the impact can cause you or your child to be blinded or have ruptured eardrums. If hurled from heights or against moving vehicles, the force is amplified and there is very little difference between water-filled balloons and rocks!
• Colored powder a.k.a गुलाल: The fine powder can easily be inhaled, trapped in the lung, cause a nasty chemical reaction in the lungs, or get trapped leading to respiratory failure over a few years.
• Edible cannabis (from which marijuana is made) or भाँग! Make no mistake about it, it is a drug, I suspect, people used to consume, to release all inhibitions, and make themselves justify behavior, that they would never have dreamt of doing when not under the influence. Please, please don’t give them just a sip! Would you give cocaine to your child?

The night before – Burning of होलिका and the pyre

Your precautions start the night before. Remember it is an open fire that the rituals are carried out. Remember, also that there are plenty of smouldering embers in the the fire that has died out, and that can burn just as badly.

Children should not go anywhere near an open flame – there are no exceptions! Anything else is an invitation to potential disaster. They just do not realize the potential danger, and getting burnt by an open flame results in some of the deepest and most extensive burns, that a human being can get.

Smoke

The smoke from the pyre, is not good for our lungs and breathing apparatus. This is especially true, for children who already have underlying chest conditions like asthma, tuberculosis, pneumonia or other rare diseases.

Discuss and plan out the next day’s activities with your kids the night before

Many times, we assume that our children will behave sensibly and be cautious. At the risk of sounding like over-cautious and scare-mongering, pessimistic parents, make sure that you reiterate how you expect your children to behave while playing with water and colors, on the day of holi, and what is allowed and what is not! Teach and reinforce, that it is mandatory that they enjoy themselves and yet be responsible!

The big day!

होली है! The day of Holi! All the precautions, you took the previous few days will bear fruit! If you have left it too late, your sins may come home to roost!

• Just before child actually goes out to play reiterate all that you discussed the night before! You did that didn’t you?
• Apply neutral cream or oil liberally on yourselves and children – This will make it easy for the colors to be washed off.
• Wear a tight fitting cap / shower cap so that the hair are protected.
• Accompany and supervise your child till she is at least 12 years of age. Young children (< 6 years) require to be within arm’s distance and you still need to be around the older child.
• Let your child play only with other kids, who are roughly of his size – What is a gentle push from a 14 year old may lead to a bad fall or injury for a three year old!
• Keep emergency numbers of your doctor / hospital on hand (you already have that, I am sure!) and have an emergency plan established much before an emergency
• Water tanks are like swimming pools! It does not take long to drown or a lot of water to drown. No children under four years in water tanks please! Older kids must be supervised.
• If you are like me, and would rather not indulge in these riotous activities, stay at home – safe and sound! Plan out some games or other activities with your little one, so that he does not miss out on all the fun(?) that is going on outside.
• If driving a car, keep your windows firmly rolled up! Steer clear of organized bands of hooligans on the road!
• Above all, water is a precious commodity! Wars are fought for water, there is a drought going on. Be responsible, and curb your instincts, at least this year. It is all very well to circulate pictures of starving men around parched earth or wells on social media, only to go back and splurge water and literally let it go down the drain!

Did you like what you read? Do you feel that you would like your friends and relatives to read and be aware of all this? Do remember to share this post on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram

If you would like to be notified of more of our posts, do remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter