Happy Holi!

Despite the situation in Tibet, my luck in timing also brought me to India for two birthdays and, more impressively, the Hindu holiday Holi. Holi is the festival of colors, celebrating spring. But one doesn't celebrate Holi, one plays Holi. In the two blocks August and I walked from the hotel we are now staying at to Pratishtha's Mummy's house, a couple of "Holi-gans" got us with handfuls of pink gulal (powdered color). When we got to the house, Pratishtha's Mummy added some more colors (in a more tender fashion), and her brother added some fragrant sandalwood paste.

But when Pratishtha and Saurabh showed up with the squirt-guns, the fight began in earnest and we had to move up to the roof.


We were all throwing colored powder at each other, and making good use of a hose and buckets of water. Luckily it was burning hot, and the water was more refreshing than anything. Saurabh was particularly playful, and had to put up with a good deal of retribution from his wife. See how cheerful he is while Pratishtha gets him with the hose:


Oh, and August is here now. He is even luckier, having inadvertently flown in on Holi Eve. India made quite the first impression on him, and his clothes. I washed all of our clothes five or six times that night, and I still have a tie-dyed bra. Not to mention that my ear was yellow for days afterwards.


Here's my final work of art. Unfortunately nobody took a very good picture of me, but you can imagine.


A few days later we left Delhi, and I had to say goodbye to Pratishtha and her family again. I just barely managed to hold back the tears this time, though it was pretty hard. It's sort of unbelievable how welcome they can make me feel, and how attached I have become for only having seen them for two weeks separated by a year. Mummy was very insistent that she would see me soon, though, as it looks like Pratishtha's brother will be getting married within the year.