Life: The Most Touching Holi of My Life

This year, I was at my ancestral village for the festival of Holi. Holi is the Hindu festival of colors and happiness. Children wait for it for the whole year and enjoy it like anything. No one stops them from making a total mess playing with water and colors on that day. But as we keep growing older, we are not able to enjoy it thoroughly in the same manner as we did in our childhood. Still, we remember all the fun we had during childhood and the memory is a kind of consolation in itself.

I do not recall if I was at my ancestral village earlier for Holi since I grew up. It was a new experience for me this time. I noticed the difference in customs in the village with respect to how we celebrate Holi in cities. There was one incident which touched me deeply.

As per the village custom, children of poor villagers make a visit to our extended family on the day of Holi. They touch the feet of our elders putting abeer (gulal) and go back. I did not know about it and they caught me unaware.

I was just finishing my lunch when I noticed some noise at the door of our house. I saw children. Dozens, perhaps they were 50-100. All of them were small, from 3-7 years of range. They would not recognize who was whom, but they knew important people lived in this part of the village. They started putting abeer at the feet of my parents and once they noticed me, they also started coming at me. It was complete ruckus. I had never seen so many little kids together in my life. They were all also laughing, talking, playing within themselves. They were all happy. They competed and pushed each other to reach us. I did not feel I deserve their honor. I had not done anything for them to deserve it. But children won’t know. I noticed that the innocent children were not cutting any corners and made sure that they were putting abeer properly. One particular kid made my heart stop. He came, bent down completely, and put the abeer with so much care that I drowned in guilt. He reminded me of my son who would be only slightly older than him. He got same soft skin, same child like cuteness; perhaps all kids resemble each other in some ways. My heart stopped beating and I started feeling chocked. The kids returned like they had come – like a gush of wind!

I asked my mother and she told me that every year she used to keep coins and toffees for the kids; but this time she could not manage to collect in time for the occasion. That pained me more; since the children had returned empty handed.

After that incident, I have been collecting small coins in a small box for next year, if I can happen to be there again.

Whenever I remember the incident, I feel a bit overwhelmed with emotions and guilt. If there are goodness, purity and innocence in this world, those kids embodied all of those. Kids are called closer to God because of that reason.

I am not sure if I shall be able to see them many times in future, but perhaps I shall never forget them. This year’s Holi was special due to this reason. 

- Rahul Tiwary