Festival of colours - kids are growing up
Holi, the festival of colours,is around the corner. The summer would start at the right earnest after Holi.
I have enjoyed festivals like Holi, Garba and Diwali celebrated in North India. The festival celebrations in South are more subdued and somehow the community participation is lacking. The festivities in North are celebrated with gay abandon.
My first brush with festivities in North was during my post graduate studies in Ahmedabad in 85-87. Though Ahmedabad had just recovered from community violence spread over couple years, garba was celebrated with fervour.Holi was celebated within the campus and was also an enjoyable event. A few years later I had seen Durga Pooja in Kolkata for three years in a row. I would rate garba as the best participative community festival I have come across so far.
We were in Kanpur for a couple of years as newly weds in early nineties. We celebrated Holi in grand style there. It used take more than a month for the colours to go off from our skin and hair. It took an effort to clean the bathrooms after our baths then.
We moved lock,stock and barrel to Delhi in 2000. Both my daughters enjoy playing Holi.I have grown younger in such matters as years progressed and I play Holi with my kids and also used to accompany them around the colony with their pitchkaris and backpack insecticide spray type equipments with extended flexipipes with nozzles. I am used to filling coloured water in balloons for them to throw at others. We made it a point to be around home during Holi. We used to apply oil on our hair and limbs before we went out with the "Holi" paraphernalia and would play for about three hours.
This year has turned out to be different.The elder one is appearing for her final school board examinations this year which commences towards the end of first week of March. She has no opportunity to play Holi this time lest she falls ill. The younger one called me a month back and told me that she would not be playing "Holi". She reminded me of her resolute decision a few days back. She indicated that she is leaving all childish pranks behind.
This has left me on a lurch. I would like to play "Holi" but would find it difficult to play without my daughters. So it is a full stop to "Holi" until one of my daughters change their mind next year or thereafter.
I have enjoyed festivals like Holi, Garba and Diwali celebrated in North India. The festival celebrations in South are more subdued and somehow the community participation is lacking. The festivities in North are celebrated with gay abandon.
My first brush with festivities in North was during my post graduate studies in Ahmedabad in 85-87. Though Ahmedabad had just recovered from community violence spread over couple years, garba was celebrated with fervour.Holi was celebated within the campus and was also an enjoyable event. A few years later I had seen Durga Pooja in Kolkata for three years in a row. I would rate garba as the best participative community festival I have come across so far.
We were in Kanpur for a couple of years as newly weds in early nineties. We celebrated Holi in grand style there. It used take more than a month for the colours to go off from our skin and hair. It took an effort to clean the bathrooms after our baths then.
We moved lock,stock and barrel to Delhi in 2000. Both my daughters enjoy playing Holi.I have grown younger in such matters as years progressed and I play Holi with my kids and also used to accompany them around the colony with their pitchkaris and backpack insecticide spray type equipments with extended flexipipes with nozzles. I am used to filling coloured water in balloons for them to throw at others. We made it a point to be around home during Holi. We used to apply oil on our hair and limbs before we went out with the "Holi" paraphernalia and would play for about three hours.
This year has turned out to be different.The elder one is appearing for her final school board examinations this year which commences towards the end of first week of March. She has no opportunity to play Holi this time lest she falls ill. The younger one called me a month back and told me that she would not be playing "Holi". She reminded me of her resolute decision a few days back. She indicated that she is leaving all childish pranks behind.
This has left me on a lurch. I would like to play "Holi" but would find it difficult to play without my daughters. So it is a full stop to "Holi" until one of my daughters change their mind next year or thereafter.
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