AHMEDABAD: Colours – check! Balloons – check! Food – check! Thandai – check! As the incandescent full moon of Purnima illuminated the city sky on Wednesday evening, people offered their prayers at the bonfire of ‘Holika Dahan’ lit in most parts of the city. They’re also all charged up to make sure they have all the fun this Holi “The bonfire is usually lit right outside our society, and so we walk outside the gate with a plateful of dates, dry coconut, popped jowar, camphor and water in a copper kalash. While we circle the bonfire, we throw the food into the bonfire as a ritual and offer our prayers. We usually prepare lapsi – which is a traditional Gujarati sweet along with dinner,” said Dharti Shah, a resident of Satellite.For some people, festivities began at their workplaces on Wednesday itself. “Celebrating Holi at office has now become a ritual. It’s just a matter of half an hour before we leave our workplace, but I look forward to it all day long,” said Anusha Iyer, a resident of Maninagar.Come the next morning on Dhuleti and colonies are abuzz with fun and frolic as everyone from kids to the elderly enjoy playing Holi with colours. Interestingly, some of the societies have taken measures to go all eco-friendly.“Every year, we have time restrictions after which water supply is suspended. This year too, we will follow the same routine. Moreover, we have procured eco-friendly colours, which were made available for sale at our society manager’s office,” said Shikha Bhargava, a resident of Indraprasth-3 in Anandnagar area of Ahmedabad.In a bid to promote eco-friendly practices in the run-up to Holi, several city-based organizations have also undertaken initiatives to create awareness about the same.“We worked with several schools and colleges and even residential societies teaching them how to make eco-friendly and natural colours and use them. We are also promoting to not splash colours on stray animals as it can have a detrimental effect on their skin,” said a spokesperson from Centre for Environment Education.

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