Holi 2011

Unlike other places, where people go crazy on just the Holi-day, residents of Peninsular Park go Holi-crazy for 3 days... So unlike other places, where you'd just have to scrub yourself clean once, here you've to scrub yourself to your original colour at least thrice. This post is an account of how I had one of the awesomest Holi(s) in 25 years!

The first Holi is called OOS Holi and is specifically for people who would be Out of Station (OOS) on Holi-day. The ritual involves forming gangs of Holi-crazy lunatics who take to the streets of the Park post midnight. Their modus operandi is quite simple. They bang on the doors of all who ar blissfully asleep at this unearthly hour until one of the occupants of the house grudgingly gets up, cursing loudly or wondering if the sky has fallen. Most veterans know that the best way to deal with the gang is to come out get soaked in coloured water and acquire a new skin colour. But some new comers do resist. They give reasons like they do not want to play Holi and hence cannot be forced to. That is where they are usually wrong. In Peninsular Park, You have to play Holi come what may. Those residents that fail to open their doors in time are punished severely. Their walls are disfigured with choicest of phrases ("Naughty Boy" for a 50-something old, "Zulmi Kaleem", for another etc. etc.), The Holi-crazy gang also tries to somehow gain an entry into the house. If it succeeds, there is no saying what would happen. There have been cases of beds being moved outside the house, to jam being smeared on walls to walls being re-painted to contents of the refrigerator being feted with Holi colours. The OOS-Holi comes to an end by 2-2:30 A.M and is usually followed by a flurry of  complaints to the Factory head the next day.

The day before Holi is the Holika-Dahan day. All in-station residents of the Park gather in the night for a round of bonfire and gulal smearing and yummy snacks. This time, the party was followed by rounds of Antakshari in which the team of the Gentlemen decisively beat the ladies, who'd run out of songs with the letter "ड़".

The next day is the D-Day. Marauding 'Tolis' of Holi-starved residents take to the street early morning, visiting all the houses and are treated to sumptuous snacks prepared by the residents. Herbal colours are a strict no-no. Any colour that can get washed off with water is poor-quality. Buckets of perma-color water are downed on unsuspecting victims. While the round of houses is still going on, a couple of hyper excited people  begin their gruesome vengeance on the clothes of the male residents. Before you know it, only rags of the erstwhile shirt remain on your body, with the majority of the shirt being tossed up on a tree. In this semi-naked state, the residents approach the pool to drown themselves in the revelry of Holi. Little do they know, that some resident standing on the corner of the pool is ready with the bottle of perma-color to pour a few drops on the head of the unsuspecting resident in the pool. So, while you thought you were colured in Blue, the colour oozing from your hair is Magenta! Complaining that the colour has gotten into your eyes is useless, if you still complain and try to run away, you'd be drenched in bottles of Beer, an activity fondly called "The beer bath!"

Another get together lunch at the club and some super sweets from the neighbours later, the Holi-day is over and you're left longing for the next big celebration!!!