Holi 2018: Mumbaikars Remember Kamala Mills Fire Victims on Festival of Colours

Mumbai, March 1: A residential society in Mumbai is set to celebrate Holi in a unique way this time, where they will burn a replica of hookah, in the back drop of Kamala Mills fire which claimed 14 lives. The residents of Panchsheel society of Grant Road in Mumbai have erected a replica of hookah to with a message, "Hookah has burnt Kamala Mills and will burn you too."

The curator of the replica, Sumit Pendharkar, said, "In this year's Holi, I want to convey a message that we should not consume hookah as it has caused the fire in Kamala Mills, which took several lives and it is too harmful for our health."

A major blaze had broken out in the Kamala Mills complex on December 29 last year, killing 14 people and injuring 12 others. The Mumbai Fire Brigade had released its investigation report into the Kamala Mills fire, which identified the usage of coal in a hookah in Mojo's Bistro as a probable cause for the fire.

Separately, the residents of BDD Chawl in Mumbai's Worli area have created a 58-feet high effigy of businessman Nirav Modi, symbolising the evil character of Holika, to burn it as a part of the festival's tradition. On the occasion of Holika Dahan, the day before Holi, people burn woods to fend off the evil, Holika and welcome goodness by playing with colours the next day. The residents have also considered the environmental factor in mind and have made the giant structure by using less wood and more of dry grass.