Happy Holi, Experience that good old feeling again

When it comes to celebrating Holi, there's no place like Delhi. The city where you are as likely to be hit with a coloured water balloon by the urchin in the street as you are to be dunked into a tub- full of colour by the hunk next door. And you have no option but to gamely smile and suffer the lusty cries of bura na mano holi hai ! The festival's joi de vivre, encompasses all and leaves none untouched with its celebration of life and hope.


“I have celebrated Holi in different cities, but the sheer fun of playing with colours in Delhi is an out of the world experience. It's only here that we really feel the beginning of the spring season. And colours could just be the excuse to flirt with that eye candy- munda next door,” says Sheetal Taneja, 25, ad-executive.

Holi also comes with a shopping list of bangles, colourful chunnis, natural colours and, of course, gastronomical delights like gujia, dahivadas, rose and almond - flavoured thandai, home - made aloo papad and chips, and the exhilarating bhang drinks and sweets. And given the occasion, it is almost vital that one goes for a little retail therapy to calm the jaded nerves.

This maybe just the right time to spring clean the bulging wardrobe and pull out the old, well- worn glad rags and replenish them with more stylish ones. And, whats an ensemble without matching accessories and an eye- catching odhni ? So, whether it is a need or an irrepressible urge to loosen out the purse strings, this is as good as any time to splurge!

Favourite shopping haunts like Dilli Haat, INA Market, Bengali Market are must places to visit if you are shopping for colours, especially herbal ones, which are the toast of the season. With environment- conscious Delhiites waking up to the harmful effects of chemical colours, more and more neighbourhood markets and kirana stores have also stocked up on the herbal fare.

Our peregrinations took us on a crazy bangle and chunni shopping spree. Crazy, because the array of shiny, glass bangles lining the shelves at the famous Hanuman Mandir complex, Connaught Place, is enough to make even the sanest of you lose your heads. Hoary old keepers of ancient tradition, some of these shops, almost sixty years old, are a bangle- lovers paradise. The place is a riot of colours, the glass sheen reflecting the beauty of the craftsmen.

Mohd. Yunus of Sana stores says, “ I have been selling bangles here for the last 40 years and Holi means extra business. I stack up more designs around this time. And whats the fun of Holi without new bangles,” as he eases a set of multi- coloured bangles on the slim wrist of Janice, his customer from Denmark. Another stall owner Ramzan Ali, says that over the years styles have changed, which means fewer people go in for glass bangles today, preferring the more sturdy and beautifully crafted metallic ones in multicoloured hues. Most of his bangles, as those in other stalls, are sourced from Ferozabad, the hub of bangle industry in the country.

But metallic, sequinned, twisted grass, lac, glass or the more ornate beaded ones, the fare at the stalls is irresistible and you can be forgiven for shelling out something as little as Rs 30 or a maximum Rs 150 for a tinkling set. Laughter, tinkling bangles, smart clothes, keeping up family values and loads of sweets makes it a heady combination for most. But the essence of making it worthwhile is keeping things simple, smart and classy.

“Holi is a one- day affair, so whats the point of going for costly stuff when you know that your clothes are going to get dirty. Its best to keep it smart and nominal, yet not compromise on quality,” says Deepa Singh as she shops for funky dupatta s at Shankar Market. Ethnic, embroidered, chiffon, georgette or the good old cotton dupatta,

easy on the purse — its a timeless dilemma, but one that you dont mind at the end of the day when your wardrobe bathes in the colours from the dupattas picked up from Chunri Emporium, at the popular Shankar Market.