Happy Holi, said she.

Holi is a hell lot of fun, Manjari Shankar claims. You should hear her gush excitedly about her favourite festival ( at this juncture, she might just pointedly correct me and lay favouritism to another festival. Who knows? It is Manjari.). Anyway, I am assuming it is her favourite festival since she sees no end to the sheer 'fun' in Holi.
"The colours, the 'masti', the noise! I can't wait for Holi!", she squeaks quite often nowadays. Of course. The colours, the NOISE! I mean, how can one want to miss out on THAT? How often do we encounter noise in our country, anyway? Hardly! Tsk, tsk..

When attacked with sarcasm regarding her wacky liking for Holi, she loses no time in engaging me, and a few fortunate others, in an amusing anecdote of her 'Bombay friends' and herself, regarding the countless 'Holi'days she's spent ( I shall refrain using 'celebrated' owing to personal prejudice) in Mumbai.

"In Bombay, na, my friends and I used to play Holi for hours together, smear dark wet colours all over our bodies, throw pails of coloured water over each other, throw eggs at each other, and balloons, too! We used to dance like there's no tomorrow and would just not want Holi to end. Ever. Anyway, once we would decide to take a break, na, we'd go to this apartment nearby. That apartment, na, had showers in its parking lot and we'd all rush in, push each other and fight in order to clean ourselves! So much crowd, na, baba! Great fun it used to be! Really! SO much fun, SO many people! I want to go to Bombay now, yaar..." I lost track after that. I heard some rambling by Pratyusha regarding how she used to play Holi with her friends in Calcutta for hours and play even after cleaning up. Something about 'mamma ka kheer' also cropped up, I distinctly remember. The 'Mamma ka kheer' is, of course, not liable to any comments from me. We all know how homesick people from Bengal and other faraway places can get when studying in Madras.

Barring that one exception, I am quite bemused by my friends! I never knew the clutter, lack of space, lack of privacy and isolation, and sheer clamour and cacophony had so many takers! Wow! I mean, would you look at that!? "We used to push each other to have a bath" , but that's okay! It's holi! Of course. Why would ANYONE mind?

I fail to understand this affinity that a majority of people in my country have for this boisterous festival! However, I am merely charmed by their affection towards it. It is so 'Indian', our beloved festival! The togetherness, the variety and diversity of sweets, the bhaang, the touching-of-bodies, (quite dissimilar to what happens in the country on all other days...or is it?), the melody of 'Rang Barse' that fills in the air, and the sheer resplendence!

In this populated and popular festivity, what can one do but smile, grit one's own teeth, and gladly accept the pail of pink water being jestingly thrown at your from four storeys above? Almost feels like some 'fun', doesn't it?

P.S.- I am quite lucky to be in this southern metropolitan! Apparently, the rush of Holi least affects my no-non-sense city. Whee.