Sunday, February 28, 2010

होली..

I remember very fondly, the times I was a kid. Living in the by lanes of Old Katra, Allahabad. Well.. don't be envious of me. Big B had left Allahabad by then for studies. Ho Ho Ho .. oh yes Holiii.
Almost one month prior to holi, we kids, my cousins, friends etc , used to get together, and start preparations of food items. Daily we used to go to our respective schools, come back and then peel potatoes, to make papads. Mom and aunties used to crush and make papads and chips and we used to spread those in the sun on cots to get those dry.. Another day, another kind of papads and namkeens, then Balushahi, then Gujias then Samosas.. and in this process we would never forget to count the days for actual holi dayss. Days because, our holi used to start from the last day at the school. Our friends used to colour our faces and leaving our dirty colourful shirts for our moms to wash. Then there was Holika Dahan, then Chchoti Holi (one day earlier), and then the main holi. Though, the next day as well,it was unsafe to go out in the fresh clothes, . Well you couldn't stop if a child would throw at balloon of colourful water on you.
Well coming back to the Holi.. We Kids..used to get up at 5am in the morning.. come to think of it, we actually could never get a proper sleep that night. So from early morning we would prepare our buckets of colourful water. Our Pichkaries,had already been repaired with new washers and grease etc.Then we would apply oil to our hands and faces. wear our holi clothes. Put on a topi and a scarf and move out of the house. Suddenly my Mom would shout and ask me to come back and have a few Gujias and samosas(my favourite till date). With great pain and resistance, I would come back, gobble down the things and rush away, of course after applying colour to the faces of my sisters and parents.
We would only return with friends at around noon, dance at home, sing songs, eat again and then take a bath.. In the evening, my fathers friends, (all Chachajis to me), used to come home, and my mom would bring out a big Parat( a huge copper dish), full of sweets, papads, namkeens etc and we all would sing and enjoy ourselves...

Flash back over...Cut to the present day..

I live presently in Delhi,in a flat.That bliss of living in a joint family has ebbed down. However yesterday, I thought of making Samosas at home, not that I couldn't buy those from the market, but.. it was a way for me to live back in times. I am writing this blog at 9.30 am, because there is nothing much to do at this time. Twice, have I checked the park outside my house, if some activity has started, but No.. Nothing.. I will have my tea now, with samosas that I have made..

My daughter doesn't consume anything fried or sweet, so she might have only a few. I hope I am able to finish the rest of the samosas..

But I am happy... that I have brought back a few of the moments from the good old days.. Happy Holi

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