Ban Tomatina. What next?

There has been an active campaign to ban Tomatina festival in Bangalore. It is wonderful to see such activism. But I would like to take a step back and see if we are barking at the wrong tree?

Could a country where people are starving afford 'Common Wealth' Games? Do we feel okay hogging water and electricity resources for Jacuzzi and umpteen gadgets when around 10% of villages don't have any access to clean water and 15% of villages don't have electricity ? How is Tomatina different from a rock concert, sporting event, star hotel etc. which are wasting more resources which can be put to better use? These are moral questions and the answers to which would vary based on our personal sensitivity.

While there is a valid point in the outrage, I feel it is directed at a symptom than at the problem itself. The problem is with our Govt. policy and problem is with the apathy in urban middle class, which has been a beneficiary of the Govt. policies. So can we take a stab at the problem? Can we force them to get their policies right and implement them? Can we sensitize urban youth to the world beyond their city? I feel we are settling fighting the easier battles. May be we will win this battle, but the war is on.

I am with change.org's central message but I don't think banning a festival or organizing a drink-for-social-change kind of festivals are going to bring meaningful change.