The Ministry of Home Affairs has to be commended for such a marked change in the spirits of Holi. In 2011, it began deploying around a thousand police personnel in the Valley, weeks before the festival to curb hooliganism. It also sent a strong warning that anyone caught harassing pedestrians, driving drunk and getting into fights would be prosecuted for public offence, which could carry a sentence of up to two years. The police administration did not just sound the alarm, but showed that it meant business. Every year, since then, police have arrested hundreds of unruly revellers, and meticulously checked for drunk driving and other violations of traffic rules, such as riding a bike with two pillion passengers and/or without a helmet. On Thursday, policewomen could also be seen on the streets to check harassment of women.

What this difference suggests is that order can be achieved if laws are implemented well—if the state puts its mind to enforcing them. The police have already amassed heaps of accolades for curbing drunk driving. The government should learn from these successes and show earnestness in enforcing other laws, and make the lives of the public easier. Road accidents, especially in the newly widened roads, have terrified people and the acid attack on two schoolgirls last week  has terrorised women. Stories of frustration at entering a public office are notorious. And the list of illegal activities that the government could curb is long: from corruption in the police administration and the bureaucracy to the exploitation of migrant workers at the hands of their agents and public officials. For far too long, the country has neglected the all-important issue of governance. But if we can save Holi from deteriorating into an orgy of hooliganism, we can also install good governance. It’s all about willpower, unencumbered by the protracted transition that the country is in, or any other excuse.