Festival of Colours

 

COLOURS!!!!! That’s what flashed your mind at the very first capture of the word HOLI from your eyes....the natural DSLR. Let me elaborate..... it's a lot more than just colours. It has a wonderful history that will give you a topsy-turvy ride through the culture of your soil and many other emotions attached to it...

Holi is celebrated on Full moon day, Purnima for centuries, the Festival of Spring, Colour, Love and triumph of good over evil.

Generally, the celebration of Holi is Started on the night before D Day. Holika Dahan is done on the very day where idols depicting sister, Holika of evil king Hiranyakashipu is burnt in a bonfire. 

The day is a national holiday in India as well as in Nepal and is an auspicious day for a get-together with family spend quality time. Irrespective of their age, children and elders throw colours at each other, friends, family, neighbour's as well as strangers. People use pichkaris or water balloons to play with colours in holi. Some like to play with dry colours (Abir). Personally, I prefer, Abir as the colours stay for a longer period. It's a wonderful scene to witness multi-coloured faces all around. It seems suddenly life has become colourful in this mundane world. 

Not only this is a day when people eat sweets & traditional delicacies (Gujiya, Jalebi, Moth, Malpua) & greet elders. It feels great to see the extravagance of the stalls selling these delicacies for the sweet hungry crowd.

There is also a seasonal overlap..... Holi gives a farewell to winter and also welcomes spring. It marks the beginning of a good harvest season. So, again it is a good news for our KISAAN BHAIS our very own farmers.

Overall its a festival of lows - highs, ups -downs, wealthy – poor and the huge diverse sections of our society. Irrespective of what they are, from where they belong, people come together to enjoy the day to the fullest. Its also a symbol of secularism being celebrated in the worlds largest republic, secular and sovereign country INDIA...!!!

Once again..... BURA NAA MAANO....HOLI HAI....!!!!!

-Mukhar Chatterjee

Kolkata