Technicolour

My nails were an interesting blue, ears green, nose various shades of pink. The hair was matted with an assortment of coloured powders which would fly everywhere if i ever gave my head a nice doggy-shake. Every few mintes a random squirt of water would find it's way to me, ruining the effects of a nice toasting in the sun. My feet were all squichy and prune-like (while looking slightly diseased with blotches of brown and green) and my skin was beginning to protest against the attack by throwing up some sort of rash.

But through it all i was in my happy place (except maybe when i had to swallow some terrible tasting colour, the only other option being spitting it into the flower pots lining the host's terrace). I love Holi. I love everything that goes with it - the anticipation, the preperation, the familiar ritual of oiling up and trying to give the body a layer of some protection. I love the childlike excitement palpable in the air, the squeals and laughter coming from adults for a change, the children looking shocked at the grown ups running around and hiding from each other. I love the feeling of drying up in the sun after a good drenching, the examination of how scary everyone else is looking (till you come across a mirror), the feeling of foreboding that creeps in when thinking of how long it will take to scrub it all off (but even that can't take away from the fun really). 

And most of all i love Holi for the amazing feeling of being clean after it's all done. It's like the yearly shedding of skin (or scrubbing, whichever serves you best). Oh, and a long post-bath/lunch snooze doesnt hurt either. 

Thats what Holi is all about - colour, water, soap and a nap.