Happy Holi

It's a gray, wet, cold day here in Fairfield County, Connecticut. It's Holi and I am dry and not dyed in a rainbow hue. People in India have had a lot of fun today, celebrating Holi, the festival of colors, while here I hide under layers of woolies and carry an umbrella when I go out on errands. Holi was the one holiday that I found both enjoyable and very disconcerting when I lived in India. It was a world turned upside down where grown-ups behaved like children, running around throwing water balloons at each other and at us. There was lunch at the club and as many cokes as your little mouth could gulp down, before you had to go home to be hosed down.

When I moved to Delhi as a college student, I found Holi far less attractive as the rowdies on the streets - testoterone-charged young men looking for women to grope under the excuse of Holi revelry - were out in strength at this time. The best way to enjoy Holi is in a small circle of friends and family - known faces - with whom you can spend a fun and sometimes, er...a pleasantly-buzzed morning and afternoon.