It was late in the night; ev-
eryone was asleep, so were we.
With our dimmed eyes and clum-
sy faces, we threw our bags on
the muddy floor, disconnected
contact with all the lives around
and went for a tight sleep. Next
day, dawn brought a little light
on our faces, we were all set
for a fresh start and chasing
the Holi Mandali for all day long.
The ‘Ganna Bajana’ started at
eight in the morning, continuous
Dhol beats, loud hootings and DJ
speakers bursting; it was enough
to wake all of us from the sleep.
Finally, we were standing on our
feet and looking at each other
like we were alive once again.
As we all have heard, ladies first,
the same was followed. Pretty
little women of the village were
the one who inaugurated the
Holi celebration every day by
offering first at the KEKATHA-
AN(GODDESS KALIKA TEMPLE).
I was on time like always, may-
be a little early, it started with a
young girl playing the DHOLAK
loudly, so, to gather everyone,
slowly women wrapped in white
sarees with different types of
red dots on them started set-
tling in the temple premises.
Bhajans, Remix of Hindi songs,
Mangal Geet, everything was on
the list, it seemed like a non-
stop CD from the ‘90s. But it was
only a trailer, Film was yet to
come. With their last song, first,
stop KEKATHAAN was done, next
was
my
ancestral
place.
The wooden house was built in
the late ‘60s, my whole child-
hood conversation with my fa-
ther is about his home on the
downhill and about the mem-
ories attached to it. I was ex-
cited, so were the ladies as it
was the first time there com-
ing to our place to celebrate.
I was tired, almost exhaust-
ed & drained after such a long
journey, from one corner to
the other. But nothing changed
for the natives, they had the
same energy as they had in the
morning and every day. Tomor-
row was a big day (MAIN HOLI
DAY). Water will be every-
where but not a drop to satisfy
your thirst; Holi is on the cor-
Before reaching home, the ladies ner; colors are in the air and
started throwing colors at each your cheeks are about to tint.
other, their faces looked so viv-
id and distinct, it became a lot
hard for me to recognize them.
The Holi party at my place
ended with the standard Pa-
hari snacks, GUD(JAGGERY)
& ALOO K (POTATO MASH).
Now, it was time for some real
fun, things about which my
father was talking about, The
Ultimate PURUSH(MEN) Holi.
I changed my clothes and got
ready for the renowned revel-
ry. The ki Holi was contrasting
from the MAHILA one. Many
of them were wearing colored
wigs, hats, and funny glass-
es. There were not only men
but included little & young
boys who were getting trained
to take this legacy forward.
The
SARPANCH(HEADMAN)
hung a DHOL across his neck;
everyone else started mov-
ing in a circle around him.
he hours-long journey started
with one of the oldest houses
and ended at the smallest temple
on the outskirts of the village.
6.
From centuries, Holi is cel-
ebrated in India, especial-
ly after the TRETA YUG.
Lord Krishna from always
is connected to Holi, as his
Holi is characterized as the
best of all time. That time,
it was played with flowers,
not colors, over the years
Holi celebration has seen a
drastic change, but years
are just numbers, the main
change is with its playing in
different regions of India,
from North to South, West
to East, everywhere the
flavor is diverse and vibrant.
The above article narrates
the festivity of Holi in the Ku-
maon region of Uttarakhand.