Holi Hai !!!

" बुरा ना मानो होली है !!" (Don’t feel bad it is holi)

Everyone who has grown up in India (or have watched hindi movies) must have heard this line. Truly Holi is the day when there is no reason to feel bad. Unlike Diwali the festival of lights celebrated as the victory of good over evil in the worldly sense. Holi is the time to celebrate the victory over ones own senses and enjoy. Cherish the blessings and the colorful surroundings. Demolish inner demons like greed, ego, anger, false pride.  Smear the friends and everyone in bright colors signifying the blessing that life is. Get yourself smeared in the colors and become a person who is clean, away from any anger and ego. With rainbow painted faces when one smiles and shows the white teeth, they appear silly and beautiful and pure.

In my schooling, college and early job years in India, I had always waited for Holi with great anticipation. My favorite festival as I had always said and believed. However, in last almost 2 decades living in the US, especially in the east coast with a cold march when the festival is and the job responsibilities have made the celebration almost non-existent. Watching photos and videos of family and friends in India from their Holi celebrations is the only solace. And then is taking a small amount of color usually after office on Holi and putting little dots on the beautiful faces of my wife and kids.

This year is different, Today was holi and I was not home, travelling for work. A few thousand miles away. This morning When I woke up in the hotel, it was very different from waking up on Holi in the past years. No one said Happy holi and no one heard me say Happy Holi.  Don’t feel bad it is Holi (बुरा ना मानो होली है !!) but I felt very bad because it was not any other day but Holi, and no one around. Tomorrow evening when I plan to reach home, holi will be over and I will have missed it. So how could I not feel bad?

With these thoughts I started my day and went for what I had planned at work. Still not able to shake it all off.

Then the holi miracle happened, My evening meeting got canceled, the key contact I was going to meet had developed an infection, early in the morning which worsened over the day and by noon he had to cancel the meeting. So I was freed up. And then I checked, the airline had a seat available in the evening flight that can take me home late at night. Late at night but today. So I will be home and will do our ritual of color in the evening (Okay! late night; but why be picky 😊) 

After all it is Holi and Bura na Mano Holi hai!!!

HAPPY HOLI ALL!!!!

PS: I reached home almost 10 minutes before midnight, and kids were asleep, so had a happy holi good-night kiss instead of colors. The picture above is from a year ago. No matter what; it was a very Happy and blessed Holi!