BHOPAL: Holi is a festival which is celebrated irrespective of religious affiliations. Everybody happily gets drenched in colours, enjoys the gujiya and bhang. The essence of the festival is unmatched and so charming that nobody can stop themselves from getting smeared and smearing people with colours. Free Press talked to a few such youngsters who not just celebrate the festival but also plan it prior so that they do not miss any fun on the day.
Salman Sheikh, 25
“I love Holi and I am famous among my friends to play Holi more than anyone else. It is a festival of colours and without colours life is boring. I visit every friend and there is no way I leave anyone without colours. What I like about this festival is that the colours leave no difference in anyone. Generally, there are certain rituals attached with every festival but about Holi, it is about the victory of right over wrong and that, I think, is the most appealing thing. Also the fun to dance and the mouth watering guijyas are incomparable.”
Zunaid Qureshi, 24
“Back in college I used to plan a day ahead of Holi. Since many of my friends are Hindu, so I never missed playing it. The best part about it is the way it begins. Even now, my friends visit my home and apply tika on my father’s forehead and touches his feet to take his blessings. It is the best way to start any festival, specially the one which is so much fun filled. There cannot be any year when I will miss enjoying Holi. There are certain festivals which can remove the difference of religion and I believe Holi is one of them.”
Rincy Joseph, 25
“Even though I am very skin conscious, Holi is something I cannot stop myself from playing. The mythological significance is also so interesting that everyone remembers the story taught in school. For me Holi is all about friends. The whole bunch goes from one friend’s house to another, smearing each other completely with colour and the best part is the variety of sweets and snacks we get to eat, specially gujiyas. A friend’s mom makes such sumptuous gujiyas that I always ask her to make more for me. And there is this great custom of distributing sweets and snacks among family and friends, which I love the most because my friend’s mother always sends sweets to my house.”
Alan Thomas, 20
“I don’t play much Holi with colours but I love playing it with gulaal and water. We gather at a friend’s place and spend half of the day smearing each other with gulaal. What I like the most about the festival is that everyone enjoys it. There is no religious difference or any other tension. In fact, I have seen that on Holi, even those with enmity forget their differences. I asked a friend of mine about this, he told me that Holi was supposed to be a festival of keeping aside all your differences and become one again, which is so beautiful.”
