What is Holi?
There are stories about Holika Dahan when we burn the old dry leaves of the year gone by and get ready to welcome spring on Holi. It’s a time to forget the pains of the year gone (but not the lessons) and get our slates clean. It’s the festival of colors, celebrating the love between Radha and Krishna and abolishing evil.
The day before, there’s a bonfire signifying Holika Dahan and the triumph of good over evil. The story says that Hiranyakashyap, a demon king, was blessed to be great. But his son Prahalad was a worshipper of Vishnu, refused to accept that his father was greater than Lord Vishnu. The evil king told his sister Holika to kill Prahalad. But Holika, in the fire she tried to burn Prahlad in, and he was saved by Vishnu. The demon king was blessed with a boon of immortality to death at the hands of man or animal. Lord Vishnu took the form of his Avatar Narsimha, who is half man and a half lion, and killed Hiranyakashyap.
How can we celebrate Holi?
The fun part about Holi is it’s more fun when you have friends to play with. This year we were determined to play Holi .
The best way to participate was when you take care to follow the rules.
The trick to having fun in COVID times is following the rules of wearing a mask and social distancing as far as possible. What others do is not in your hands.
The truth about rules is that it’s easier to follow them yourself than making others do them.
Now, after all that serious talk, you must be thinking, what does this have to do with Holi?
Well, Holi colors come in natural organic variants and weird colors too.
That’s why I choose my own colors and those from my own kitchen to keep strange colors to a minimum.
I used Haldi (turmeric powder) mixed with Maida for a bright yellow color and red hibiscus powder mixed with water for the red color to put inside balloons.
This year a few apartment kids got together and played Holi with organic watercolors. And water balloons filled with water colored with abir or organic gulal.
It was two hours of intense playing ending up with kids all wet, colorful, and the biggest smiles on their faces. I forgot to tell you that our Holi celebration started yesterday with a small Holi party by India Medical Association Malda branch members and family. My daughter managed to play there, too, with a few kids.
In COVID times, it’s their playtime, which seems to have suffered in the crazy scenario.
Schools are not just for education. They let a child be. They help children make friends, play lead have fun, and enjoy their childhood.
This time will never come back, and all the stolen childhoods need more color.
Then what is Dol jatra and Basanta Utsab?
Dol Jatra in West Bengal is celebrated on the occasion of Dol Purnima and celebrated by offering abir to Radha-Krishna.It’s even more special because Dol Purnima is also the birthday of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who showed us the path of Bhakti .How simple devotion is more important than rituals to be blessed.Basanta Utsab, or this Festival of Spring, is celebrated all over West Bengal to welcome spring and celebrate Holi. On the day before Holi, it’s called Deb Dol when flowers like marigold are used to shower colors on everyone. At Shantiniketan, Basanta Utsab is celebrated by singing Rabindrasngeet dancing to them and remembering traditions.
When I write about these festivals on my blog, I wonder whether anyone reads them. But even with that thought in mind, I write because then I have more stories to tell my daughter. In this grey world, all of us need stories with happy endings.
In 2021 I started lettering, doodling, drawing, and painting with my daughter. Then Tangi came into my life, and I started sharing my artwork there. The best part about art is it makes you happy when you do it, practice it and share it.
That’s how Holi is too. The more you share the colors with friends and family happier you feel.
I was lucky to get malpuas from my neighbor and my sister-in-law. A very sweet Holi indeed.
On the blog front–
With COVID 19 spilling onto 2021, life is busier with all precautions .With only online school for the little one even now means the schedules are still crazy. I took a longish break from podcasting, thinking about where I wanted to take my show towards.
I think I have some idea now. That’s why in April, I hope to do more podcasts and video content and write more.
In case you haven’t checked it out yet, my Krishna Mishra Mystery book 3 The Rani’s Rubies is out. You can read it on Kindle Unlimited .What was your Holi like?Let me know in the comments below.
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