Toxic colours for Holi celebrations leave 140 in hospital

At least 140 people, a majority of whom were aged between ten and 20 years, were hospitalised Thursday after they had an allergic reaction to artificial colours sprinkled on them by other revellers during Holi (festival of colours) at Dharavi in north-central Mumbai. As the Holi revelry was coming to an end in Dharavi slum, scores of youngsters complained of skin irritation, giddiness, nausea, breathlessness, stomach pain and blisters on their hands and face. They were immediately rushed to the nearby Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General (LTMG) Hospital at Sion. Most of the affected youth were from Shahunagar locality of Dharavi, where there is a closed chemical factory. Eyewitness accounts said many youngsters had made use of some chemicals from the factory to prepare colours for playing Holi, a festival that is celebrated by Indians by smearing colours on each other or drenching either other with coloured water. Until around 5pm, as many as 140 youngsters had been admitted to the LTMG hospital — known as Sion Hospital. "The allergy that they have developed is due to a chemical reaction. Apart from having been smeared with colour powder as also drenched with coloured water all over the body, many of the patients have inhaled the colour powder. The condition of most of them is stable. But, they will have to undergo treatment at the hospital for at least two days," a senior doctor said. The blood samples of the patients have been sent for clinical analysis. Other than chemicals, the police are also not ruling out the possibility of the youngsters having used artificial dyes or synthetic colours, which can cause immediate reactions on the skin and body. Untoward incidents The large-scale hospitalisation unleashed tension among the Dharavi residents, hundreds of whom rushed to the Sion Hospital after the news spread. Not wanting to take any chances, the police deployed a strong contingent of its personnel around the hospital to ensure no untoward incidents. The police are investigating as to where the affected residents of Dharavi purchased or procured the colours they used. Meanwhile, Maharashtra's Minister for Women and Child Welfare Varsha Gaikwad, who represents Dharavi constituency in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, visited the affected areas and met the youngsters at the hospital. Meanwhile, the country woke up to the festival of colours. Young and old started the day not only with colours, but also with fun, frolic, water and laughter. As adults started with smudging the faces of their loved ones with dry colours, youngsters threw buckets-full of water at each other, later substituting this with squirt guns.' Children also prepared water-filled balloons and took many of their friends and family members unawares by gently throwing balloons at them, drenching them with coloured water. "I am so excited about Holi. This is fun fun fun...and I love it," said five-year-old Gaurang Kamat who was the first in his housing society in Worli in south Mumbai to take to the ground with an array of balloons, pichkaris and colours. By afternoon, streets in Mumbai were all shades of colours — dry and otherwise — being thrown by people on each other. Several housing societies across Mumbai also arranged for music systems to add to the fun. Children and adults danced to the foot-tapping numbers like ‘Rang barse, bheege chunarwali', ‘Aaj naa chhodenge bas hum,' ‘Holi khele raghubeera' and so on. Elderly devotees also visited local temples and offered special prayers on the occasion.