HOLI for Indians: No water for some

"Out of approximately 6.1 billion people all over the world, more than 1 billion do not have access to potable water"

At his village, George Samuels is waiting for his mother. Her mother has gone to get some water for the family. They do not have potable water in their village, nor they have it in their neighboring villages. Everyday George's mother has to walk 30 kilometers to-and-fro to bring water to meet their daily needs of cooking and drinking water. George does not have a computer or even a television at his home. The only mode of interaction with the rest of the world he has, is the transistor his dad had bought on his last birthday. George switches on the transistor, tunes into the BBC news. It is his favorite channel. He turns the radio such that its antenna is facing the north direction, as that is the direction where they have the radio transmission tower.

Radio playing:
"India is celebrating the festival of 'HOLI' today. Its a festival of colors. People all over India, young or old, men or women, all celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm. They mix various colors into water and pour it over each other......"

Just then George's mother enters their house. George is amazed at hearing the news of 'Holi'. He asks his mother if she has heard of a festival like this where people mix colors into water and pour it all over each other, acting madly, as if they were completely insane people. He tells her that he heard about it in the radio and he also wanted to celebrate it like Indians.

Her mom says," I don't know what has happened to these radio channels now a days. They keep showing these rubbish news. Where in the world would you get so much water to waste it like this. Water is so precious. I have to travel 30 kilometers each day to bring water for cooking and drinking. How would these people get so much water to waste. My mother used to tell me stories about our ancestors, who have been to India. All of them were really impressed with India and Indians. Its not a country which would waste a thing as precious as water, in the name of any festival. They are very responsible people and I don't believe they can be involved in wastage of such huge quantities of water. These news channels have gone mad......"

George believes her, he says he too wouldn't celebrate 'HOLI', just like Indians are not celebrating. He promises her mother that he would try his best to prevent the wastage of every bit of water. He says that he wants to be like 'Indians'.

Her mother nods in appreciation and hugs him. Deep inside her mind, she is thinking how selfish the world has become. Countries are not standing for each other. While they are starving for water, countries like India are busy in wasting millions of gallons of precious water. She prays to GOD, that George never becomes like Indians.