Holi — more than a celebration
The bonfire the night before, or the drenching in gulaal the next morning, the ecstasy of bhaang in the afternoon, or the evening of socialization with sweets and abeer — it’s one of those festivals where you are spoilt for choice for your favourite moment of the day. Yes, it’s Holi — the festival of colours, a day to play, laugh and love, forgive and forget, sing and dance.
Bura Na Maano, Holi Hai
We all have some lovely memories associated with this day. Mine was an occasion when I was playing Holi with my friends, and somebody pranked me from behind drenching me head to toe in a fashion that rendered me unrecognizable. My face was red — literally and figuratively, as till then I prided myself into not getting pranked by anyone and having the cleanest hair in the town. I was fuming as to ‘Who is this coward who did this to me from behind?’. And then I turned around to a smiling face of my father, mischievously whispering ‘Bura na maano, Holi hai!’. It was a very tender moment for me as we had never shared an expression of warmth and love so unapologetically before. Right then and there, some unknown barriers fell down. A father and son became friends.
Truly, Holi is a day where you let bygones be bygones and let the colours mediate. This is a day which you can unpretentiously let your inner child fly and experience the vibrancy of life to the fullest.
Legend Has It..
The significance of Holi is many fold. This day traditionally marks the victory of good over evil. The foremost legend is that of demon King Hiranyakashyap who demanded that everybody in his kingdom worship him. However in brazen disobedience, his own son Prahlad grew up to become a sincere devotee of Lord Vishnu. Plotting his son’s death, Hiranakashyap had his sister Holika enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap.(Holika had a boon which made her immune to fire). But Prahlad was saved by the Lord himself for his sincere devotion and the evil minded Holika was burnt to ashes (That explains the bonfire called Holika-dahan a night before Holi ). Then Hiranakashyap was killed by Narashima, a half-human half-lion avatar of Lord Vishnu.
The legends are many but what makes Holi so unique and special is the spirit that connects the celebration across the country and the globe. What a sight it is! The entire nation wears a festive look, market places are abuzz with frenzied shoppers — oh the various hues of colours and the ever enticing sweets!
Holi’s significance today
Holi has been eternally significant. It is where rivalries melt into a bucket of water, worries are washed off erstwhile anxious faces, and lives are splashed with overflowing colours. It is a reminder that all colours can coexist simultaneously. There is no prejudice for or against any colour. Similarly, we all play different roles at various stages in life, and all these roles can co-exist harmoniously within us and in the society. Life is more than just black and white. A full fledged life means an expression of all colours — with the awareness that none of us of any particular colour but just expressing ourselves in different ways in different times.
Holi is more than a festival, it’s more than a celebration, it’s an expression of exuberance of life. Let’s go live it.
