Holi Preparation

Mallika is apprehensive about playing with colours on Holi

Zareena celebrates her birthday with choco-sticks

The Club woke up today to celebrating Holi on March 6. With three days to go, Srichand Arora brought up the subject this morning after the exercises, asking members for suggestions on how we should go about the festival this year. Although this is supposed to be a ‘festival of colours’, he gave us the option of playing with flowers for a change. “Some of us may not be inclined to be dabbed in dry colour (gulal),” he pointed out.
“If you’d play with gulal, I will not be able to participate,” Mallika Kagzi declared. “You may count me out. My family will not let me step out of the house in that case.”
Realising that Mallika could well be speaking on behalf of other women of her community, Arora quickly changed tack: “In that case, we shall shower you with rose petals only,” he quipped. “What else do you want?”
The Club has been celebrating the festival every year with thandai – a refreshing drink prepared from cold milk and a mixture of nuts, dry fruit and seeds along with saffron, cardamom and sugar. Bhang (cannabis) is an option for those so inclined. There would also be some salties as usual. And for those insisting on colour, Arora would be getting a small packet of gulal to be applied as tilak on the forehead. In other words, we can look forward to a fairly restrained Holi this year, sans any unruly behavior.
Meanwhile Zareena Khan celebrated her birthday for the first time with us, with chocolate sticks. It was a welcome departure from the overload of fried stuff and sweets that we have been having so often. We wish Zareena all happiness, good health and a long life.
Jagmohan Papneja:
Thanks, Arora-ji for making such elaborate arrangements. I am sure you will arrange for sweets, thandai, bhang and colour without which Holi has no meaning. Better to avoid synthetic colours which cause skin irritation and affect the eyes. Also wishing you, Zarina-ji a very very Happy Birthday. I hope today marks the beginning of another wonderful year for you.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd):
Holi is an important festival. It is good that we are celebrating with flower petals and this will be liked by everyone. Happy birthday to Zarina-ji. We wish her a happy, healthy and enjoyable life.