In a celebration of Holi with a cause, a group of around fifty youngsters, 'Team Parivartan' appealed against offering puran polis (chapatis stuffed with sweetened chana daal) to Holika and distributed 300 puran polis to the poor instead.
The city-based group distributed the puran polis to the poor at Dadar station and outside KEM Hospital on Wednesday night. The group includes youth from Thane, Kalyan and Mumbai areas, who are involved in various social activities.
Tushar Warang, coordinator for the group for activities in Churchgate to Mumbai Central area said that Team Parivartan undertakes various initiatives during festivities to convey social messages to the people.
During the burning of Holika, puran poli is offered to the fire. Team Parivartan, however, asked people to avoid that and arranged for puran polis to be collected from various suburban areas including, Grant Road, Lower Parel, Dadar, Sion, Andheri, Kandivali, Malad, Chembur and Govandi. The group had pointed out that instead of offering the puran poli to Holika, the efforts of making the sweet delicacy will bear more fruit if the less fortunate get to have a meal.
Accordingly, Warang said, "The puran polis were distributed immediately on Wednesday night at two places. One team distributed it to the Paradhi community outside Dadar station and the other team distributed them to the poor outside KEM Hospital."
Warang said that Brothers Sports Club, Manik Cooperative Housing Society, Siddhivinayak Annex Society, Sagar building in Lower Parel, and Pratiskha Nagar, Sion residents chipped in with puran polis.