Move over your wet-o-wild Holi. Embrace a dry-and-delightful festival.

Young crusaders of Jamshedpur launched a unique conservation drive on Thursday, urging residents to play what they are calling Tilak Holi to prevent water spill.

The 50-odd youths, under the banner of Bhojpuri Navchetna Manch, began their campaign from the commercial hub of Jugsalai, where they asked people to anoint the forehead of their friends and family members with natural gulal (colours) instead of indulging in the traditional smearfest with colours guns that demands gallons of water during celebrations and thereafter for cleaning.

"We advocate Tilak Holi to reduce unnecessary use of water. Using dry gulal instead of colour-loaded pichkaris can save our lifeline. We distributed pamphlets to tell people about the benefits of this unique way of celebrating the festival," said Manch president Appu Tiwary.

The campaign assumes significance in a city which, according to a survey by Tata Steel subsidiary Jusco, needs a supply of 160 million litres of water every day.

"We have seen how people in fringe areas of the city suffer from water woes during summer months; so, we do not want anyone to waste water during Holi," said Ankit Anand, spokesperson of the outfit.

Bhojpuri Navchetna Manch, which has been organising blood donation camps and other Samaritan programmes in and around the steel city since 2004, also appealed to residents to observe March 23 as Martyrs' Day as a mark of respect to freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru who were hanged by the British on this day.

The Manch members wore paper masks of the freedom heroes as well as that of Kishan Dubey, the BSF soldier from Jamshedpur who died fighting terrorists in Kashmir last July, to drive home their point.

The Manch will campaign for Tilak Holi and Martyrs' Day in other parts of the city till March 23.

"Our members will spare at least two hours every evening to carry forward our message," said Anand.