Whoa folks... this looks like a new ground for me now... dats coz I havent been here for quite a while now. Neways, I am here because there are flurry of thoughts being pushed down from my brain to my fingers, as I type this, and the brain wants me to pen down some memories bout the colorful, exuberant, paint-me-if-u-can festival called Holi.
I, like anyone else, enjoyed this festival as a kid. So, get ready to get teleported, as in, lets go back into the annals of our childhood days...
YOU THERE ALREADY... OKIE... THERE YOU ARE...
Like all festivals, bothering what the festival was all about, we are more inclined to 'with whom am I gonna enjoy' the festival with. As a kid, the hues of colors always took me to a floating, mass-less and friction-free environment where I would be soaring with each color, touching them, feeling their brightness and playing spiritfully. The excitement would always start with checking the date when Holi would fall that year... and the countdown begins... along with the countdown, begins the PLAN... which colors would I get? how many packets? water baloons... water colors... I would also start imagining how my friends would look when I smear different colors on them. I would smile to myself on seeing their funny faces :) The excitement reaches the peek when I tag along with my Dad to get the colors for Holi. I would carry a large bag keeping in mind how many packets I need for myself. My Dad knows the bag is lil too much oversized for some packets of colors, but he doesnt resent to my carrying the oversized bag :) We reach the market and see lots of colorful stalls, each stall having a display of the brightest colors. My Dad takes me to one of the stall and I start my mission of collecting my ammunition for the color attack. I collect some fifty large packets of color and give an expression of 'thats-all-I-need' to my Dad. He tries to explain me, kinda rationalise, but I give a 'Why-should-I-settle-for -less?' kinda look. I also fold my hands and start looking away, in order to express my resent. He, pats me on my shoulder, ruffles my hair and gives me a smile. I understand the expression and start jumping taking the fifty packets of color along. He points at the water baloons and asks how many I need? I pick up ten packets and also select my 'pichkaari', my vital weapon. After having finished, I tell him that I am done collecting my share and we need to take colors for sisters as well :) [Read: What I actually meant was "These are ONLY my colors and I wont let anyone have a touch of this atleast :) "]I go back home and hide my colors under that bed of mine. I keep them in a remote corner so that nobody would easily know where they were. I cant get enough sleep thinking of all the fun the next day. My Mom gives me the dinner call, but I say I need to sleep early to get up early. She, like all mothers, playfully makes me eat and sensing my excitement, puts me early to sleep.
[Now, lemme share a little secret... maybe no one has ever known this... Everyday before I sleep, I used to pray God to keep everyone happy. But the secret part was... my prayers also contained "please dont lemme have ghost stories tonight", "please don't let bhoot come to me". :) :) :)
But, that day, I also prayed God "Please finish the night soon and let the day begin very very early tomorrow, so that I can play Holi :)"]
As I try to close my eyes, I can only see colors around and I again get that 'floating-in-the-air' feeling. I get excited and sleep. I get up early morning, earlier than usual. I wake up my Mom. Mom says, its only 4 a.m and I need to get back to sleep. I go back to the bed again, try not to sleep and let my imagination roll over :) I turn sides, cover the blanket, take my toy torch inside the blanket and switch it on, I make gestures with my hands and project them on the wall... My antics continue till the time it is 6 a.m. and I get up and wake my sisters up, shouting aloud "Happy Holi ". I, then, pull up my trunk and start digging out my dresses to find a suitable one for Holi. My Mom helps me out in picking a dress... a grey pant and a green tee . I looked at the dress and said I wanted a white colored dress. My Sister tries to explain, but in vain. She senses my excitement and lets me wear the new white tee. ROFL. I pick up a new tee for Holi, and of all the colors, I pick white :) Mom gives me breakfast, but I am too busy to go out and play. I go out on the streets and see nobody out there. I come back sad and wait for sometime, thinking why people arent out on the streets playing Holi. After a few minutes, I collect my bag again. I carefully open a green colored packet, go to my Dad, and apply the entire packet of color on his face, even as he was reading the newspaper sipping tea... He joyfully applies the color back to me. I rush back to the mirror to see how I look... I feel so happy. I go to Mom and my Sisters and repeat what I did with Dad :)
Yes, Holi has begun! How wonderful the world looks... Its all colorful... each color depicting its own virtues.... Go out and Play !!! Unlock the kid in YOU...
I, like anyone else, enjoyed this festival as a kid. So, get ready to get teleported, as in, lets go back into the annals of our childhood days...
YOU THERE ALREADY... OKIE... THERE YOU ARE...
Like all festivals, bothering what the festival was all about, we are more inclined to 'with whom am I gonna enjoy' the festival with. As a kid, the hues of colors always took me to a floating, mass-less and friction-free environment where I would be soaring with each color, touching them, feeling their brightness and playing spiritfully. The excitement would always start with checking the date when Holi would fall that year... and the countdown begins... along with the countdown, begins the PLAN... which colors would I get? how many packets? water baloons... water colors... I would also start imagining how my friends would look when I smear different colors on them. I would smile to myself on seeing their funny faces :) The excitement reaches the peek when I tag along with my Dad to get the colors for Holi. I would carry a large bag keeping in mind how many packets I need for myself. My Dad knows the bag is lil too much oversized for some packets of colors, but he doesnt resent to my carrying the oversized bag :) We reach the market and see lots of colorful stalls, each stall having a display of the brightest colors. My Dad takes me to one of the stall and I start my mission of collecting my ammunition for the color attack. I collect some fifty large packets of color and give an expression of 'thats-all-I-need' to my Dad. He tries to explain me, kinda rationalise, but I give a 'Why-should-I-settle-for -less?' kinda look. I also fold my hands and start looking away, in order to express my resent. He, pats me on my shoulder, ruffles my hair and gives me a smile. I understand the expression and start jumping taking the fifty packets of color along. He points at the water baloons and asks how many I need? I pick up ten packets and also select my 'pichkaari', my vital weapon. After having finished, I tell him that I am done collecting my share and we need to take colors for sisters as well :) [Read: What I actually meant was "These are ONLY my colors and I wont let anyone have a touch of this atleast :) "]I go back home and hide my colors under that bed of mine. I keep them in a remote corner so that nobody would easily know where they were. I cant get enough sleep thinking of all the fun the next day. My Mom gives me the dinner call, but I say I need to sleep early to get up early. She, like all mothers, playfully makes me eat and sensing my excitement, puts me early to sleep.
[Now, lemme share a little secret... maybe no one has ever known this... Everyday before I sleep, I used to pray God to keep everyone happy. But the secret part was... my prayers also contained "please dont lemme have ghost stories tonight", "please don't let bhoot come to me". :) :) :)
But, that day, I also prayed God "Please finish the night soon and let the day begin very very early tomorrow, so that I can play Holi :)"]
As I try to close my eyes, I can only see colors around and I again get that 'floating-in-the-air' feeling. I get excited and sleep. I get up early morning, earlier than usual. I wake up my Mom. Mom says, its only 4 a.m and I need to get back to sleep. I go back to the bed again, try not to sleep and let my imagination roll over :) I turn sides, cover the blanket, take my toy torch inside the blanket and switch it on, I make gestures with my hands and project them on the wall... My antics continue till the time it is 6 a.m. and I get up and wake my sisters up, shouting aloud "Happy Holi ". I, then, pull up my trunk and start digging out my dresses to find a suitable one for Holi. My Mom helps me out in picking a dress... a grey pant and a green tee . I looked at the dress and said I wanted a white colored dress. My Sister tries to explain, but in vain. She senses my excitement and lets me wear the new white tee. ROFL. I pick up a new tee for Holi, and of all the colors, I pick white :) Mom gives me breakfast, but I am too busy to go out and play. I go out on the streets and see nobody out there. I come back sad and wait for sometime, thinking why people arent out on the streets playing Holi. After a few minutes, I collect my bag again. I carefully open a green colored packet, go to my Dad, and apply the entire packet of color on his face, even as he was reading the newspaper sipping tea... He joyfully applies the color back to me. I rush back to the mirror to see how I look... I feel so happy. I go to Mom and my Sisters and repeat what I did with Dad :)
Yes, Holi has begun! How wonderful the world looks... Its all colorful... each color depicting its own virtues.... Go out and Play !!! Unlock the kid in YOU...
