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Bangalore holi day

Happy Holi 2013 - to one and all


The streets of Bangalore display the normal traffic. There are only few colored faces on motor bikes. Some colored faces stationed in some corner of street. The shops are open. The offices are open too. Even the school are open too. The schools even have exams. Can you beat that?

One girl has gone to give exam in Brigade School and other man has gone to Aura Montessori. Yes, even the Montessories are open today.



The Brigade gardenia owners apartment association sent an email restricting Holi होली festivities in the Brigade gardenia campus. I am sure other apartment/layout associations would have sent similar directive. Here's a sample for you to savor

CELEBRATION OF  HOLI  INSIDE THE CAMPUS
1.       Holi Dahan on 26th March 2013.
As there have been frequent fire mishaps the Fire & Safety authorities during their annual inspection and audit of our campus have strictly informed the office to exercise maximum caution, control and restraints in permitting any activities that may lead to fire hazardous.
Considering the above HOLI DAHAN INSIDE THE CAMPUS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Residents are kindly note the above and extend their cooperation.
2.       Holi Day on 27th March 2013.
Venue:  Amphitheater;                     Proposed Timing: 10 AM to 3:00 PM
No other common area other than the above is permitted for Holi Celebrations.
Common area building interiors, exterior walls, lifts and such other areas are not to be used and defaced at any cost.
Further, please note
- do not spill colors and plants.
- do not use paints
- do not deface the walls
- use water optimally
- do not force people to participate
- do not throw balloons
- do not throw colors on visitors and on  unwilling participants.
Please restrict playing in and around the specified area only and extend your cooperation.
The festivals of the land are now going to be controlled execution as per directives. I guess they need a good copywriter more than the sinking fund.

I have not experienced  holi in other parts of India for a while. I guess, there it must be chaos. People would be closing doors, shy will borrow movie Cds and lock indoors to spent the day in peace of the house. The riotous will be on street finding every little excuse to touch and color every passer by.


In good old days, we used to collect money (चंदा ) in our colony, then buy big trunks of logs/wood. Burn them in the night before holi, cheer, sing and dance around the fire. Next day early morning, go and pray near the ash and then let loose. Pull friends and neighbors out of their doors, color them, wet them.

The streets would be colored too, the garden, fencing, lawns would simply change their appearance. Small ponds would become pools of color. Then we would go to father's colleagues bungalows. They would treat us with color and gujiyas. And by late noon, we would be exhausted, come home and spend lifetime cleaning up.

It remained so in college, it got more dirtier. We would make puddles of mud/cow dung and would have to tear our t-shirts and muddy in the pool before we were allowed to roam like birds. Once we got the courage to go out on the streets of Nagpur, somebody got the brilliant idea to park in front of a girls college (LAD or something) and before we reached the main gate we saw columns of policeman zeroing in from all directions.

We were made to sit on the main roads, girls of the college were having hearty laughs from their barricaded hostels. The passers by were enjoying the future of India. Some of us got police batons on some unmentionable parts of the body. After a briefing from Police and a warning we were allowed to go one by one. We ran without looking back till we were inside VRCE campus again.

Now Holi is growing sober or maybe I am at the wrong place to celebrate festivals of India. Is weather the only good thing about Bangalore? Even there its getting hot these days. It has not rained for so many evenings now.

Or with my ageing the colors of excitement are fading away too.

How is your holi-day going on?

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