Dia Mirza photographed at a studio in Mumbai.
Highlights
- Dia Mirza urged people to not 'waste water' on Holi
- Water conservation is the need of the hour, says Dia
- She posted her statement on Facebook
Actress Dia Mirza, trolled for a Holi-themed tweet in which she wrote 'call me anti-Hindu,' is trending on social media after explaining herself in a lengthy Facebook post. In her note, she apologises "unequivocally" for any sentiments that might have been hurt by her tweet and appeals for dissenting opinions to be respected.
"I have an equal respect for all religions, festivals and customs that are celebrated in our country," wrote Ms Mirza, continuing: "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."
She wrote about playing Holi as a child: "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."
Her tweet was about empathy and compassion, Ms Mirza explained: "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."
She ended with this appeal: "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." (Also Read:
Dia Mirza Signs Indo-Iranian Film, Says She's Receiving Lots of Love)
In a tweet dated March 16, the 34-year-old actress contrasted water wastage during Holi with the suicides of farmers in drought-affected areas:
She was immediately savaged in tweets that asked her what her water bill was and criticized her as 'elitist.'
Dia Mirza is best known for her work in films like
Lage Raho Munna Bhai and
Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein and produced 2014 film
Bobby Jasoos.
Read her Facebook post here:
Let me start by saying to all those who have taken strong offense to my tweet - "The irony of the times we live in:...
Posted by Dia Mirza on Monday, 21 March 2016