When it’s Holi, you know it’s time to tuck away ‘winter’ in all its forms and shades and say goodbye to those cold grey days. Spring is in the air and the festival brings with it unadulterated joy and laughter, music and dance and the beautiful hues of colour. It’s all about those bright coloured powders, known as ‘Gulal’ that are believed to signify energy, life and joy. This is also a time to indulge in intoxicating drinks and mouth-watering delicacies.
Holi does conjure up images of colour, gaiety, fun and frolic. We mustn’t forget that the festival also signifies the ultimate victory of good over evil and that power lies in truth. There are innumerable legends of course associated with Holi but in the end they all speaks the same language of truth and getting rid of evil. Ironically, this message is all the more pertinent in the times we live in where evil and dishonesty lurks in every corner.
Over the years, playing Holi has reduced slowly and steadily for me. For no particular reason the thrill of playing has ebbed. Growing up in army cantonments, there was always a joint celebration with everyone meeting at a central place and the bonhomie and jousting made it all the more special. It was always a day’s event which started with playing Holi and then would be followed by music and dance and a sumptuous lunch and eventually a game of ‘tambola’ till the time it dawned on the parents that the kids needed a desperate scrubbing!
It was all the more exciting for us children as everyone was particularly indulgent and the merry- making and boisterous activities all around generated good vibes and energy. Everyone would be greeted with dry colours which would slowly get messier and then the coloured water balloons and squirt guns and buckets of concoctions that you wouldn’t really want to know the ingredients of as words like ‘paint/turpentine/potassium permanganate/boot polish resonated around… All this slowly and steadily leading to people being tossed into pools and drenched under fountains. I distinctly remember the dunking in mud pools as well!
During school and college life the Holi revelry was even messier and lively. I can never forget being bombarded with eggs and metallic paint that stuck for days and green and purple hair that would have given a zombie a run for his money. It also used to annoy us immensely that ‘Holi’ always took place right in the middle of our exams and there was nothing we could do about it but stare into our text books remorsefully especially when the dreaded Board exams loomed up on us.
While I agree Holi brings us all together and society as one –strengthening the secular fabric of our country — we also need to sit and think about how not to waste and conserve water in these changing times. I understand the need to revitalise and strengthen ties but I also feel that in all this we shouldn’t forget about the environment and the global changes fast catching up on us. That would be the true spirit of the festival.
Sadly, this year, the wastage of water was terrifying to see. While the pandemic ensured no celebrations in the past two years, it really was unreasonable and irresponsible of people to go bananas and care a fig about the colossal waste of water this Holi. It just took a moment for people to stop being responsible citizens!
So whether it is called ‘Rang Panchami’ or ‘Yaosang’ or ‘Lathmar Holi’ or ‘Hola Mohalla’ – it doesn’t matter as the essence behind the festival remains the same and the message that signifies the triumph of good over evil.
“Let the colours of Holi always spread the message of peace and happiness.”