My blogger friend Rachna did a wonderful post on Holi. I couldn’t wishe her back as I was too late to read it.
I am not quite sure why, but we south Indians are very vary of the festival. First of all no one is sure about what the festival is about. Only thing we know is there are lots of colour being spattered.
I first witnessed Holi when I was in college. One day a truck load of seniors rushed in. they started throwing the colours around. I was dumbfounded seeing all the cacophony. After all the mayhem we realized the real intentions. We boys were the least affected. The girls came out with lots of colour on their soft, chubby cheeks. The best part was the good looking ones had a multi-coloured rainbow on their boobs. The seniors came in hordes and grabbed whatever they could lay their hands on. Some even had the guts to go down to the butts. This day provided them a license to feel and vandalize the beautiful creatures.
All my years I never really understood why the girls didn’t feel like complaining. Well, I am no saint. After getting over the ‘fresher’ tag, I too tried my hand in getting a handful. But I was too shy and frightened of the prospect of getting jailed. So I didn’t stray far from the cheeks.
Worse, the colours were so cheap and irritating that days of shampooing never got it out of the hair. The irritation stayed on for days in the skin.
We used to hear the stories of how people are rolled through mud water during Holi. So while we were returning from Goa, we faced this predicament of coming across the Holi people. We got down at Margao bus stand and were walking to the railway station. We made double extra sure to avoid any loonies on the way. Then out of no where a dude came with colour. We begged him in broken Hindi.
‘Bhaiyya please! Saman haun. Yathra…’
He coolly said not to worry and did a blue tilak on our foreheads. That was a license to go unscathed. As soon as we reached the station we washed it off.
Nowadays I am too eager for the day after Holi. Our masala sites put up the third page gang celebrating Holi drunk and semi-nude. For them Holi must have some different idea. Sure, Holi gives me a high!
I am not quite sure why, but we south Indians are very vary of the festival. First of all no one is sure about what the festival is about. Only thing we know is there are lots of colour being spattered.
I first witnessed Holi when I was in college. One day a truck load of seniors rushed in. they started throwing the colours around. I was dumbfounded seeing all the cacophony. After all the mayhem we realized the real intentions. We boys were the least affected. The girls came out with lots of colour on their soft, chubby cheeks. The best part was the good looking ones had a multi-coloured rainbow on their boobs. The seniors came in hordes and grabbed whatever they could lay their hands on. Some even had the guts to go down to the butts. This day provided them a license to feel and vandalize the beautiful creatures.
All my years I never really understood why the girls didn’t feel like complaining. Well, I am no saint. After getting over the ‘fresher’ tag, I too tried my hand in getting a handful. But I was too shy and frightened of the prospect of getting jailed. So I didn’t stray far from the cheeks.
Worse, the colours were so cheap and irritating that days of shampooing never got it out of the hair. The irritation stayed on for days in the skin.
We used to hear the stories of how people are rolled through mud water during Holi. So while we were returning from Goa, we faced this predicament of coming across the Holi people. We got down at Margao bus stand and were walking to the railway station. We made double extra sure to avoid any loonies on the way. Then out of no where a dude came with colour. We begged him in broken Hindi.
‘Bhaiyya please! Saman haun. Yathra…’
He coolly said not to worry and did a blue tilak on our foreheads. That was a license to go unscathed. As soon as we reached the station we washed it off.
Nowadays I am too eager for the day after Holi. Our masala sites put up the third page gang celebrating Holi drunk and semi-nude. For them Holi must have some different idea. Sure, Holi gives me a high!
