Spirit of Holi

You are walking down a restless street of your city and suddenly, you find a water balloon crash against your unsuspecting skull. Bursts of water come in piercing torrents and it's hard to count the number of colours on your white kurta. Are you're still wondering what's happening? Well, for those of you who are still guessing, it sounds a lot like Holi! Yes, the festival of colours is here and no amount of skill in tactical warfare and ambush attacks will get you out of this. The streets are full of people smeared in a spectrum of colours and spotting familiar faces is almost impossible. This is how drastically the parameters of normalcy change on a normal Holi day in any part of India.

Holi is one of the most popular Hindu festival celebrated to mark the incoming spring season. The day is celebrated at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month also known as phalguna. Also known as Dolyatra or Basanta Utsab in West Bengal, Holi is one of India's most popular festivals. The main day, also known as Dhuleti, is the Holi we all know. The day is celebrated with people throwing coloured powder and water at each other as friends and family meet up.

The celebrations, however, start the night before when a huge bonfire is lit in memory young Prahlad and his miraculous escape when Holika is burnt to death.

Different regions in India have come to celebrate the festival in their own unique way but the spirit of the festival still remains the same. One of the most popular traditions of the festival is exchanging sweets. Get your near and dear ones some great delicacies from one of these sweet shops. There's a better chance of finding a fire cracker go off on Holi than finding a person not smeared in colour. With all those soiled clothes buying a few new ones from one of these garment stores won't be a bad idea. They also make for great gifts. Take your family and friends out to one of these restaurants.

Personally, I love Holi. I love the spirit.  The family time, friends, sweets, laughter and love... It all fascinates me! But this year, i'll try and celebrate holi in a natural way. It's kind of difficult for me but I'll try my best.

So get all your combat training together, if any, and brace yourself for this Holi this year on March 1...
Happy Holi!!