“The drought in Maharashtra has hit over 90 lakh farmers and counting” – Dia Mirza

March 22, 2016 - 12:07 PM IST

Dia Mirza, who has been very active in supporting varied social causes, recently took to Twitter to address a serious issue of water scarcity and drought urging people to save

“The drought in Maharashtra has hit over 90 lakh farmers and counting” – Dia Mirza

water whilst celebrating the festival of colours 'Holi'. However, the tweet soon backfired, as several netizens decided to troll the actress on social media. While some reminded Dia of being a

water tax defaulter way back in 2013, the others posted images of Dia from the films where she was seen in a soaked wet avatar, 'dancing in the rain' sequences and alike.

Few may be aware that Dia Mirza was accused of not paying water tax worth Rs. 2.26 lakhs in 2013 and though the actress did mention that it was a kind of miscommunication, she assured that she will

be making the payment in due time. As the trolling continued, Dia Mirza took to social media to respond to these criticisms by writing a sort of open letter to the netizens about respecting other

people's opinions, even if they disagree with the same.

Dia Mirza posted on Facebook:

'Let me start by saying to all those who have taken strong offense to my tweet - "The irony of the times we live in: farmers commit suicide due to drought and people waste water to 'play' #?Holi?.

Go ahead call me anti-Hindu" - that as a citizen of India, I have an equal respect for all religions, festivals and customs that are celebrated in our country. It has never been my intention to

hurt the sentiments of any individual or community. If in the event that my tweet has done so, I apologize unequivocally. ?

That said, the fact remains that various parts of our country are experiencing a severe water shortage. According to a report I read in April last year, the drought in Maharashtra has hit over 90

lakh farmers and counting. In October last year, the Maharashtra government officially declared a "drought-like condition" in 14,708 of the state's 43,000 villages. Water Conservation is the

absolute need of the hour and my request for us to indulge in a Dry Holi was in keeping only with this sentiment of conservation and nothing else.

In a far more innocent time, when the child in me was still playing Holi with water balloons and buckets full of gulal water, it was hard to foresee that one day drought would not be just a picture

of cracked earth in a school notebook but a tragedy closer home. As an individual who continues to live and learn, I concede that I may not have always benefited from an awareness that urged me to

question the wastage of our resources at all occasions in the past. But I also know that with time, just like any one of us, I too have the continuous opportunity to grow and make more informed and

responsible choices in all spheres of life.

We may not have all the solutions to the water scarcity problem or any other problem for that matter, but I believe that empathy for those most affected, acknowledging and understanding the

challenges we face and taking the steps WE CAN as citizens, will only help.

Lastly, the exchange of opinions, thoughts and ideas is what makes interacting with people on Twitter and other platforms of Social Media as engaging as it is. Let's remain receptive to one another

even when we choose to disagree.

Have a colorful, safe and happy Holi!!!'

- DIA MIRZA