Holi

The advent of spring ushering in a season of renewal is heralded in various ways across the world. In India it starts off with a festival called Holi. As with almost every other festival in India, Holi is also associated with some mythological events with a demon or two thrown in and ultimately, good triumphing over evil. Whatever the origins of this festival be, it is nowadays a free for all to throw colored powder and water over unsuspecting passersby and ruin their dress.

I had this experience some years ago as my nephew who was then in Nagpur will testify. This form of colorful merrymaking was not in vogue in the south of India previously. Generally, some bonfires were lit, with discarded materials like baskets and dried up coconut fronds etc. and sometimes adventurous boys used to jump over the fire. I had also lit such a bonfire once, at a crossroad near our house in Mysore and a policeman from a nearby station had come to investigate the blaze which seemed big enough to attract their attention. I confess I have not been an admirer of the prankish smearing of colored powder on one another’s face which takes weeks to wash off sometimes. Until the mood becomes less boisterous it is better to go in tattered clothes. The Hindi movies shot in technicolor seem to have set the trend and made this otherwise unbecoming frolics look chic.