There is no other way to say this, other than that I love this festival. If Diwali feels like a Happy Ending to a fruitful year, Holi is like taking the first bite out of a fully ripened fruit. It bursts in your mouth like a glorious splash. It says Good Morning, let's have fun🌈🫂

Holi is a world of excess emotions and feelings so that even the introvert in me can't resist the urge to put colour on every face in my sight. Recalling my childhood, I reminisce about joyfully darting around the rooftop, then collapsing onto the warm ground in my drenched attire, the sun gleefully casting its rays upon me. I recall the ritual of standing still while everyone adorned me with gulaal powder for the quintessential photo, rendering me unrecognizable. I recall my father diligently scrubbing my face until it turned pink from the green hues applied by my brother😂🌈

Sleeping early to wake up at 6 am and putting a thick coat of oil all over my skin. I wore the worst clothes that never match. Balloons after balloons, till all the tubs were overfull. And then with our pichkari's ready we would stand on our roof, waiting for all our neighbours so we could start. This was a war no one wanted to win, because at the end if you still had colour on you after a rigorous bath, it was a sign of recognition.

Papa would bring cool drinks, and Mumma would always arrive late with finger snacks and gujiyas. We ignored their constant reminders to wait for them to set down the trays. and were forced to consume at least half of the pink, green, and blue food.

Holi for me has always been beautiful; although I know it comes with its own problems. But these problems only arise when people forget some basic human decency- decency that we all should carry in us with the rose scented gulaal in our hand, that is only about spreading love and joy. But also it is about respecting peoples choices, as the story of Prahlad goes🌈🫂