A couple of days ago, we celebrated Holi at our Manali library. It was wonderful to smear gulaal on everyone’s faces! We shared mithai and listened to music afterwards.
But our Holi was special for a particular reason. We played ‘safe’ Holi. This meant that no one was forced to do anything that they didn’t want to do. And each time someone wanted to apply colours on the other person, they asked for permission. We also applied gulaal with a lot of love and care, so that it didn’t accidentally get into eyes or nose.
This was possible by having a conversation with all the participants before we started the celebrations. We talked about the importance of safety and consent. The children were familiar with both the ideas since we practice those at the library everyday. We emphasised the need to practice these every single day. And that a ‘no’ needs to be heard and respected.
I know it worked because there were no tear-stained or scared faces at the end of the day. Here’s looking forward to many more such celebrations!
P.S. You can help us in building and sustaining safe library spaces in Spiti Valley and in Manali (Himachal Pradesh, India).