Just Like That | Holi: An opportunity to strengthen our bonds with others | Latest News India
As a child, and well into my teens, the festival I loved the most was Holi. For days before, my friends and I would plan for our buckets full of water-filled balloons, test and retest our pichkaris, and select our choice of colour for gulal. I could hardly wait for the morning of Holi, when the mock battles and ambushes would start, a riot of fun and laughter, that would last till late afternoon. Later, for many years, my wife and I and a friend hosted a Holi party on his farm, whose highlight was Dilli ka Khana. It was a vegetarian meal, with the best chaat from the old city, and bedwa aaloo. In 17th century literature, Holi is primarily linked to agriculture, a carnival to express the hope that the land will remain fertile. (HT Photo) Even then, I was surprised that many people, especially from the ‘upper crust’, kept away from Holi. They considered it too boisterous, almost an encroachment on their exclusivity. Some, of course, were allergic to gulal, or did …
