When did Holi become an excuse for hooliganism, drunken driving and eve teasing? It is difficult to pin point that exact moment when it became okay to spray unwilling and unsuspecting people with gulal, water colors, caustic dyes, paint, tar, rotten eggs , mud………all in the spirit of fun. The degradation has been gradual and many youngsters  don’t even know the  significance of this day

Like most Indian festivals it celebrates  the victory of virtue over vice.  In this case Prahalad the prince prevailed  over his evil father Hirnaykashyap and aunt Holika. A bonfire, to replay the 

attempt of burning the prince in a pyre,  is an essential part of the festival and faag or fagwa, now known as  Holi is played the next day. There are accounts of Holi, as we now know it, in sixteenth century paintings and carvings and joyful tales of Krishna playing Holi with gopis

To make this occasion truly festive  revellers  need to start caring for those who do not want to participate in the celebrations. Holi is a holiday but it is imperative to note  that life goes on. So there will always be people who have to rush to the hospital for someone  sick or to a grocer for something needed or somewhere else . And these people should be excused if they do not want to partake in the merrymaking. 

As for the boisterous participants this festival transcends age, religion and status like no other. Spring is in the air and the mood is of carefree abandon. Pranks and bhang are an integral part of the day.  But as responsible citizens try to make the celebrations safe. To protect yourself oil your hair, slather on sunscreen, paint your nails including cuticles and replace  your contacts with geeky spectacles. I could ask you to use herbal colors and vegetable dyes but won’t because you would probably end up buying regular colours in a fancy packing at an exorbitant price. So just stay away from coarse grainy gulal with shiny bits of mica,  permanent dyes, silver  paint and the likes. During an onslaught save your eyes. As is with all intoxicants , don’t drive after consuming bhang or liquor . Stay away from rowdy crowds. Take ‘No’ for an answer. Enjoy!!

And if I have irked you consider this, last year officials in Bhopal asked people to give the customary hug a miss in view of the swine flu epidemic. If I dampened the Holi spirit with my set of instructions, they had certainly killed it!

( Published in the Tribune on 19/2/2017)