The drudgeries of life

As I got up in the morning today, my ears scanned for the cacophony, the melange of giggles, laughter, and shrieks, loud splashes, even louder songs, threats issued out to people like myself who're planning to skip the celebrations by remaining indoors, all of which I've come to associate with the festival of Holi! But surprisingly it was all missing! The only sound that disturbed the serenity emanated from the construction site nearby...

For as far back as I can remember, I've always spent Holi indoors... either watching TV, or playing games! The best part of the day used to be using water-filled pichkaris and balloons, and playing a mock Holi in the backyard with my li'l sister! It struck me as odd that though my parents allowed us to enjoy each and every festival, be it Diwali, Christmas, etc. they were strictly against letting me join my gang who were soaked in colorful dyes on Holi! Probably, the mess I'd make of myself under such conditions was their biggest fear... who knows?! Anyway, the entire day was spent cooped up in the house, locked up like prisoners! The most exciting moments used to be when the crowds used to reach our gates and kept banging on the gates and kept shouting out to us to join them! Not once in the 20 years that I spent Holi with my parents did they give in to their friends' pleas...

Even when at college, most of my pals used to go home to celebrate the festival of colors... I too used to go home but for separate reasons - the main one being to escape the colors! I did somehow decide to check out the gusto with which this festival is celebrated, and so I stayed back at college for Holi in my last year! Turned out that almost everyone had stayed back and mamamia! Hearing the mob out in the corridor gave me goosebumps and I started wondering whether I had taken a really wrong decision to not go home! The mob wouldn;t take no for an answer and I made it to the venue of the festivities, the cricket ground, in one piece though I know I must've looked like a character right out of a kid's painting book:D!

One by one, all the guys were deprived of the clothing covering their upper body by the mob, and in some cases, the lower clothing too! LOL! And once you've been stripped, it was common sense to join the mob in stripping others so as to ensure equality! Who wants to be the odd-man out?! It was another thing that I was the first victim! Luckily I was unrecognizable! So, after all the initial "kapda phaado" andolan was over, the specially prepared slush was there! One by one, everyone was thrown into it *yucky* and dirt, grime, mud, water, colors, were thrown upon by alleged friends as toppings!

This and much more! Not to mention the sweets! Yummy yum yum! If ever I really felt like a pig, it was then! Somehow walked back to the hostel extremely concious of my semi-nakedness! Hit the showers pronto! Scrubbed myself till my skin felt raw! Woah! What an experience!

All said and done, it was really cool! And what mattered was the wonderful moments with friends! I don't think anything like that will happen again... people seem to have grown more mature and responsible, and such childish things won't look good! BLAH BLAH! But still, who want to celebrate certainly indulge in it! What matters is having the HOLIday spirit intact!

Here's wishing everyone a colorful Holi!!

Labels: Celebration, Colors, Holi