The cavalcade of colors: Holi

O Rang barse, bhige, chunar wali rang barse…

The festival of colors is around the corner and we can already hear people crooning to the popular Bollywood melodies. Owing to the courtesy of the lively tracks like ‘Balam Pichkari..’, Holi has become the next big event of the year.

Known not just for its vibrant colors and zeal but also for its mouth-watering dishes, Holi is one festival you just don’t want to miss. With Gujiyas, Phirni, Chat and Thandai being served from all directions, this festival is a treat for all the food lovers where they get to savor all their favorite delicacies without a shred of regret!

As vivacious as it gets, Holi is one festival, which is equally famous and accepted everywhere. The striking display of colors is not only intriguing but also alluring in a way that it naturally helps people to bond and connect over a simple statement of ‘Bura na mano, Holi hai!’. The spirit and energy are simply contagious, as you cannot help yourself from jumping into what otherwise looks like a complete ruckus.

What the world says is the ‘Indian Tomatina’, is not only celebrated in various parts of India but also has its influence in several parts of the world. The Color Run in the United States is one of the many examples where Holi has been modified for a greater cause. This Indian festival is also organized as a partying event across the globe, highlighting its role not only as a source of merriment but also in establishing communal harmony.

Colorful splash of water balloons, playing with water pistol known as ‘Pichkari’ and applying color to your friends and family, could it get any better? Holi sets a celebratory mood unlike no other festival throughout the year and it doesn’t matter whether you live in Barsana or Bangaluru or whether you live in Maharashtra or Manipur, Holi is one festival people celebrate with equal enthusiasm everywhere.

India is a culturally diverse land and everything comes in versions. This is true for Holi as well. Being celebrated across the country within different cultures, every state has its own story explaining the significance of this zealous festival. For Gujarat, Holi is a two-day affair, where on the first day bon-fire is lit and on the second day called “Dhuleti”, colors are applied.

Barsana, a small town near Mathura celebrates “Lath Mar Holi” wherein the women use sticks to beat up the men in the Radha Rani temple. Holi in Bihar is known as “Phaguwa” and is celebrated in form of a two-day festival, where bon-fire is lit on the first day and colors are applied on the second day.

Bengal observes a slightly different tradition. Holi in the state is called “Dol Jatra” and is celebrated by placing idols of Lord Krishna and Radha on an exquisitely decorated palanquin, which is then taken around the main streets of the city. In Manipuri people celebrate Holi for 6-days, and the celebration merges with the festival of Yaosang.

In Andhra Pradesh, Holi is celebrated along with Basant Panchami, where as in Punjab Holi is preceded by Holika Dahan.

From North to South, from East to West, Holi is one festival, which unites us like no other festival does.

No matter how diverse our cultures might be and however different we might be in celebrating our festivities, the underlying feeling always remains unchanged. While connecting us to our roots, these festivals permeate the feeling of brotherhood and tolerance. Thus, weaving us closer together as a country and as fellow humans.

After Delhi, AAP to party in Goa

After sweeping the streets of Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is ready to rock-and-roll and this time its taking the party to Goa.

Though AAP has made no official announcement in this regard, word is that the party is eyeing to contest in all 40 constituencies of Goa and is likely to make a formal announcement in next two months.

If AAP poster boy Arvind Kejriwal is preparing to clean Goa off all its 'corrupt officials' using his famous 'Jhaadu', then we are surely up for some fun and DRAMA!

After all who would want to miss the most happening party of the year, specially when its in Goa?

However, the real fun will begin if AAP comes into power. With no Congress to blame and no power tussle with BJP to complain about, how will AAP work? Against whom will AAP demonstrate and waste crores in putting up banners, if they are sole entity in power?

If tables turn, how will AAP cope with the waxing and waning tides of Goa, which happens to be an international tourist destination?

It will be interesting to see how Bikinis, Babes and Booze live with the Broomstick.

Fingers crossed folks, coz this party is just getting started!!!

Nationalism Vs. Pseudo-nationalism

The term “patriotism” is in vogue these days and everybody seems to be talking about it. People are raising slogans and holding marches to demonstrate their love for the country.

Students across the nation are holding demonstrations to protest against the ongoing injustice; lawyers on the other hand, are leaving courtrooms and carrying out processions against all the ‘anti-national’ elements of the society; and the police is turning a blind-eye towards everything.

Sadly, this is not the end. The scenario is such that people are being branded as ‘anti-nationals’ and charged with ‘sedition’.

The atmosphere is so charged up that it is giving the looks and feels of the era of Indian freedom struggle, except that this time everything is in the greys.

To counter the impact of the ongoing events (JNU row), all central universities across the country have decided to install the national tricolor ‘prominently and proudly’ in their campuses. The idea is that flying the national flag will instilling nationalism and pride in the students and the countrymen.

However, the question is that will it actually serve the purpose?

Another important question that looms at this juncture, when people are being explicitly classified in two categories- patriots and traitors, is that is hoisting the national flag the only symbol of patriotism?

Oxford dictionary defines Patriotism as ‘the love of your country and willingness to defend it’.

If that is true, then isn’t patriotism reflected in the way we fight to make our country a better place and the ways we stand up to hold its values?

If patriotism is a feeling and our actions, its indicators, then isn’t any action threatening to disrupt the peace in the country in any way, anti-national? Isn’t any action downing the pride and glory of our nation simply betrayal?

Recently, lawyers in the national capital despite of the orders of the Supreme Court of India, created a ruckus outside a Delhi court on by showering a youth with beatings. The following day, they held a procession against the so-called ‘traitors’ present in the society.

If members of the judiciary start challenging their own constitution and act in ways that challenges discipline in the society, then how will the country function? How will India function?

In this era, where we talk about the ‘power of choice’ with so much confidence, are public trials and slogan chanting really acceptable? Or is this the age of pseudo-nationalism, where words mean more than the actions and creating chaos is the new method of defending one’s country?

If chaos is the new order and laws are restricted to the ‘common people’, is freedom, in its absolute sense, defunct?

Further, if agents of justice betray the country in the most basic sense, where will the nation and the nationalism go?

Is one day really enough?

Valentine’s Day is just hours away and I can’t help but wonder why do we have just one day to celebrate our love towards our partners?

In the words of Rabindranath Tagore, “love is the only reality and is not a mere sentiment. It is the ultimate truth that lies at the heart of creation.”

If love really is that powerful and vital then shouldn’t it be celebrated every day? Shouldn’t we often take the time and e have efforts to remind our closest people how much they mean to us? Shouldn’t we express our gratitude towards them more frequently than we usually do?

Or does one day cover up for the remaining 364 days of the year?

We have Mother’s Day to celebrate the bond between mothers and their children; we have Father’s Day to thank our dads for their protection and support; we even have Brother’s Day and Sister’s Day to celebrate the bonds that we share with our siblings, but is having just one day really enough?

Is it ok to celebrate one day and ignore our loved ones other times?

Love is an eternal feeling and it makes us a better person. While being loved by someone gives us strength, loving someone gives us courage. No matter what the bond the is, the feeling remains the same and requires nourishment.

However, if we hurt someone close to us, even a fancy restaurant, red roses and a dozen expensive gifts can never make up for it.

So, if you truly love someone don’t wait for a year to admit that you do. Every day counts, every moment is precious.

Spend time together; surprise them often; flirt with them like you’re still 16; show how grateful you are and never value your ego more than the person you care about. Coz when you love someone, every day is the day of love...

Too much or too little?

They say knowledge is power and information is liberating.

But is it entirely true? Is knowing everything really a boon or is there more to it?

Knowledge is powerful. It can either set you free or pull you down under its weight.

But with great knowledge comes great responsibilities and with extra-ordinary information come some agonizing limitations.

On one hand, knowing too much before the right time can be restraining, but on the other hand, knowing too little can be equally perilous.

So when do we draw the line? How do we decide whether what we know is too little or too much?

We chase answers all our lives. We seek what is unknown, and yet when we have all the answers, it’s not enough. We crave for more. It’s like an eternal thirst that can’t be quenched.

The interesting question here is, what would happen if we knew things even before they happened? Would it avert accidents? Would it lessen the pain of tragedies?

There is no definite answer but its safe to say that it would do no good in any situation.

Future is indefinite and our each and every action holds the potential to change it.

On one hand knowing about a happy ending would make us too lethargic to act in a way that would get us the desired outcome, on the other hand, knowing about a calamity would drain us in a way that we would cease to live in the present.

The fact is that no one can live with the burden of knowing too much before the right time for a long time.

So when they say that ignorance is bliss, they say it right. In some cases, its better to close your eyes and be blind to the future than being a silent spectator to what cannot be changed.

The Thing About Truth…

They say that only truth can set you free, but they never tell you anything about the ‘truth’.

They tell you to be honest and never lie, but they never really define it.

So, what is truth? More importantly, how do we decide if a thing is true or not? Is ‘truth’ a set of commonly accepted facts? Or is it merely a belief?

How do we decide the finality of anything? And why do we depend on the absolution at all?

Is it because we love our comfort zones? Or is it because the inertia is too great to contest?

History has witnessed many great beliefs being challenged and getting replaced by new beliefs. Time has given us sufficient evidence to show that nothing is absolute.

There was a time when Earth was in the center of the universe and there is a time when we are peeping through the windows of the universe to see if we have a neighbor.

Point being, truth can be challenged in light of facts that state otherwise.

Yet another perspective that can question the absolution of truth is relativity.

Every fact, every belief, every bit of information is relative. What is right for one person can be outrageous for another. What is interesting for one can be shady for another.

To quote an example, when its broad daylight in the US, its midnight in Indonesia. Does it mean that either one of the two are false? No. It simply means that both are right, both are ‘true’ with respect to another sun but not to each other.

Common knowledge or wide acceptance elevates the status of any information from ‘fact’ to ‘truth’. But does it mean that the majority is necessarily right? Not always.

The thing about ‘truth’ is that it can be challenged and changed. So, to believe in its absolution and stop looking beyond what is already known, is not just ludicrous but also insipid.

So stop resisting and start looking for it’s never too late to explore!

FUTURE - What and Why?

Future. Future is unknown.

It holds the keys to what might happen. It holds the key to some of the most startling revelations and to the saddest tragedies that we might ever witness.

It holds the power to surprise and shock us. It holds the answer to the greatest and most inexplicable question of life.

Future. Future is made up of moments, connected intricately in symmetrical patterns, resounding in fineness the secret of all existence.

Future. Future is distant. It is hope that destinies can change. It is the determination that some ‘impossibles’ can be made possible. It is the chapter that has new lessons written all over it.

So what is Future? And more importantly why do we count on it so much? Is it because it brings the uncertainty of change or is it because we have got accustomed to the false hopes and promises we expect it would bring?

Are we the humans, the most evolved species on the planet, so powerless and helpless that we waste our entire present in the possibility of a different tomorrow? And why do we expect that tomorrow is going to be any different if today is the same?

If we don’t make our today count, how will tomorrow be better?

Hope. Hope is like a magic drug that can both cure and cause all diseases. It’s like a paradox that has no perfect answer.

Hope and Future are two components of one of the most powerful equation of time. Unfortunately, the combination is lethal, especially when ‘no action’ is the primary catalyst.

So why is future so alluring when today is what holds its reins?

Future will bring glory only when we value our present. Only then life will be as beautiful as we want it to be.

The key to everything thus lies in ‘action’.

So let’s act today. Shall we?