Indian festivals stir a range of emotions. If they were people, each would express a distinct personality.

Diwali dazzles with wealth and an inner glow, a festival of light and renewal, where homes and hearts undergo a deep cleansing. Christmas, on the other hand, wraps us in hope and gratitude, reassuring us that our guide has returned to protect us, filling the winter chill with warmth.

Some festivals even share symbolic connections. Vasant Panchami and St. Valentine’s Day both bloom with flowers, the spirit of love, and the promise of new beginnings.

And then comes Holi—a festival bursting with colors, laughter, and sheer abandonment!

As Holi approaches, people shed their usual selves and embrace a more carefree, vibrant version. Workplaces turn into dance floors with employees grooving to energetic Bollywood beats, all while enjoying ‘harmless’ doses of Thandai. College campuses transform into battlegrounds of color, with students and faculty drenched in makeshift water tanks. Housing societies host Holi Milan gatherings, where food is abundant, and when it comes to the B in F&B, caution is blissfully ignored! Meanwhile, neighborhood kids gleefully ambush unsuspecting passersby with color-filled balloons, oblivious to whom they’re targeting.

Friends smear each other with hues—some so dark that it’s hard to tell if they’re blue or black—while all the oil meant to ‘protect’ the skin only deepens the shades! Women, momentarily freed from kitchen duties, aren’t spared either. They’re lovingly dusted with pink, green, and yellow gulaal, before returning to their culinary roles—dunking potatoes and onion rings into batter for endless rounds of snacks. And they enjoy both—the festive teasing and the frying!

As the day progresses, the energy escalates. More people join the revelry, and entire cities transform into kaleidoscopic mosaics. Streets, shops, pavements, and roadside curbs—everything is happily, temporarily stained in Holi’s hues.

We embrace Holi’s madness because it offers an escape from the routine. Life is too structured, too predictable—what’s the point of pristine whites and pastels if we can’t drench ourselves in a little joyful chaos?

On this day, our usual color codes surrender to wild splashes, and our hearts dance to the rhythm of the moment. Even those who insist, "Oh, I don’t play Holi!" often secretly hope to be pulled into the frenzy.

And if you didn’t play this year—well, that’s a real shame!

Image (c) istock.com