Before writing this Blog I would like to wish everyone?? ?VERY HAPPY HOLI?. May the Goddess Holika wipe out all the Evil from the world and make the world a better place to live. I am bit emotional while writing this Blog as this is literally after a decade that I will not be celebrating Holi in my old Building and unfortunately there will be no Holi in our old building as there is no one from my group there now.
I don?t remember when we exactly started the ritual of Burning Holi may be around five years back or before.? I have found out new mantra in life as I am growing up. All the festivals are more enjoyable when you are kids. Same applies with Holi. I still remember how we use to start celebrating Holi almost a fortnight before the actual festival. Celebration included going to terrace, making water Ballons and throwing it on people (especially beautiful girls) from the terrace. Since our Building was on main road we could easily find lot of easy targets. Sprinkling water on one other was the best part of the festival.
Just couple a days before Holi, there would be a very interesting competition in our Building. It was how many water Ballons you make and of what size. ?Kakdi? was what everyone was looking for when we used to make water Ballons.? Another important thing was Colors; there was a myth that if we apply Oil Paint Color it won?t go so easily so the main focus was to stay away from those who had Oil-Paint with them.
Since ours was a small building with only 20 flats, preparing Holi was a huge task. Getting woods in city like Mumbai is very difficult. So we have to rely on our building watchman who used to assemble woods from dry trees nearby. Once woods were ready, it was time to make a Holi. Arranging woods, Papers tying them with the rope was the process to be followed which would make our Holi. After bringing some kerosene from somewhere we would finally lit our building Holi. Sweets like Pedas, Barfi and Coconut was mostly offered as Prasad
Next day was Rang Panchmi and it was total Masti. Terrace was the main venue as there was lots of water available courtesy water tank or Taki. Sometimes Eggs were also used along with Water Ballons and Colors. After a tiring few hours of Rang Panchmi we would stroll around to Juhu Beach to refresh ourselves. Rang Panchmi was never complete without Samasos and Thandai from Iskon.
Since last few years? plenty of families have vacated our building but still we were continuing the Holi Ritual till last year. But this year sadly there is no one left in our building and so our Holi celebration has come to an End. As the saying goes ?All Good Things Come to an END?. But the memories and nostalgia of those beautiful days of Holi have encrypted in the minds of every C-1?ite forever.