Happy Holi (March 11) !!!

All of India celebrated with colors and water, and I was so excited to be in Bombay to be a part of this very public and spiritual spectacle (See Holi).  This marks the (official) end of winter here.  Anurita tells me that people used to wait until Holi to begin using electric fans in their homes.  In the age of global warming, it is almost impossible to do that now…at least in this region of India.  In the absence of air conditioning, electric fans have been the bane of my existence in India on this trip.

Families and children ran around the streets squirting each other with colored water, men on bikes had watery streaks of bright yellow, blue, pink, and all shades in between running down their hair, faces, and bodies.  The ‘color’ took on a range of states.  In the beginning it was sold as colored powder in plastic bags to be thrown up in the air like very fine confetti (in bursts!).  When scooped up with a wet finger, it became colored mud, perfect for smearing on the faces of friends…like warpaint.  And finally, when flooded with water, it became a river to dump over someone’s head…a convoluted murky stream to cover the most surface area of the person infected, affected, doused…the friend or foe!  By late afternoon, Bombay is covered.  The colors have run together and everything is dark purple….people are drenched, but like everything here, they dry quickly under the sun.  Our clothes are ruined, but I was warned, and so I have maybe the best color-streaked souvenir.

Holi is possibly the greatest theme-party idea (Tele-stuart, you have to check this out for a revision of ‘the color party’, did you know about this?!)  We celebrated with LOUD dance music, 2 water tankers, food, and friends.  Anurita and Dhru, thank you so much for an unforgettable time!

Holi is a physical act:
Holi video

More Bollywood:

Dancing