The Holi Day

"Holi hai bhai holi hai..", we uttered these words at least a 1000  times, while pouring colors on others in  childhood days. It was great fun, starting a week before Holi...pleading to mom to get the color-gun (pichkari) repaired; getting early on the H-day before anybody and filling baloons with color on chilling mornings. The battles, two or three gangs of society, determined to over-last each other in baloon power. First artillery firing (baloons), some gorillla warfare i.e. hiding and seeking to catch hold of lonely members of other gang and then holi with family members. Mind you, all this action took place in midst of March exams, every year, just imagine !!

During board exams of my elder sister, I was strictly warned not to disturb her ::)) But.... still... yet,.....me and chachu made a plan, got her out and left her with the lady gaga..sorry gang of our society. Though it wasnt as much fun as she caught fever and could hardly prepare for her exam. Me and chachu went through the trial in family court, and as expected chachu was given clean chit and I had to pay hefty fine of not teasing her for the whole next week, just imagine !!

Rewinding few more years back, my Holi days were not as merry, hiding from my adolescent chachu party, for whom I was a toy. They woke me up at mid-night for Holika-dahan, and carried me on their shoulders, though I could ve walked, huh..crazy people ! Again in the morning I would wake up with fear, that they ll play Holi with me, now that doesnt sounds a big deal, isnt it ? Not until you know, that for me it meant to be diving and floating in a color drum upside down, just imagine !! I would ve sued them if I knew about the child-helpline at that time, their good luck...I dint know ! After such a scary start, we would play normal holi with others in the family. Now wait a minute, what to do with baloons ?? you dont expect me to throw baloons on family members, it was prohibited by law because the previous year, one of my throws at Bua dint burst, so she felt the pain for next one week and so did I (do I need to explain why ??), just imagine !! But we found a solution to pacify the urge of throwing baloons, me and my sister would go to roof-top and sit beside roadside railing with a bucket full of baloons looking for targets. But we faced a strange problem, we were too shy to throw baloons at strangers, sounds ridiculous, but what to do ! So...finally we wasted our baloons bombing innocent, stray donkeys and cows....even I regret it now but dont tell this to Maneka Gandhi or I l will land in trouble !

After those years of fun-filled holi, we entered an era when playing holi became a roudy thing and was not supposed cool, but to hell with it..I never cared !! But I had lost my accomplice, my sister was no longer interested so as to pretend mature, huh ! My chachu party had become fathers and did not indulge as they had to safeguard their kids from rashes-causing-colors !! Now the good old drum, no longer had any company on even Holi, as I wont fit in and it was declared an inhumane and senseless act to play with
kids like that..just imagine !!

Then came college Holi, fun-filled Holi sat on a back seat, and Kurta-faad Holi took the front seat. Guys used to settle their grudges in name of Holi. And really pity the girls (not all), they could not even peep outside the hostel due to obvious reasons. Ofocurse there was no fun in it, so no need to imagine !!

Unfortunately, the ecstacy of watching calender pages flip awaiting Holi has been replaced by people fearing rashes of color, the word fun has been interchanged with wishing safe Holi; the joy of intermingling with your neighbours has been overpowered by fear of encounter with uncultured people; the taste of sweets has been adulterated and so on.

But today, I regained my lost faith in Holi and that too at a place I didnt just imagine !! Today, I was forcibly taken to a temple to have Holi celebration with fellow Indians. I went but did not expect anything great out of it. Though, thankfully I was proved wrong as everybody ranging from crawling kids to elders on wheelchair, were enjoying Holi with colors and prayers. It was really heartening to find some familiar environment and even better, to share the same madness during the dance party after Holi celebrations !

So, I think even today, its not really difficult to celebrate Holi decently, provided you have like minded company and some mad animals with you !!

Happy Holi !!