Every year, in assembly, sometimes we will quiz the kids on upcoming celebrations and most times they will not remember, but ask them around March and all of them will shout ‘Holi’. That is because Holi is a memorable celebration especially for kids and the way we do it in Chinmaya Gurukul it is also an unforgettable celebration . This year we celebrated Holi on March 15th.
The preparations for Holi started early. We had about 300 RSVPs and managing a crowd of that size, especially when there’s colors involved, is always a challenge. But Raji and team have now become adept at it. Weather also tried its usual tricks but of course we did our best and left the rest to the rain gods.
The preparations started the week before. But the bulk of the setup happened on Friday. Areas had to be marked off so we didn’t trail colors into the lobby and other areas, food items were purchased by volunteers and colors and pichkaris were also ready. On Saturday, volunteers started early and by 11, everything looked set including the weather.
People started trickling in and slowly the momentum started building up. Of course for momentum to build up, you need fun music and fearless dancers. Which is exactly what Himani and a group of volunteers did. They got the dancing started and how. People greeted each other happily colored themselves and coloring others. Kids rushed toward adults knowing this was the one time they could do it without getting into trouble. Everyone looked happy and colorful.
There was cool thandai to give them energy to continue dancing. When they were ready, they could go and buy Samosa chaat, Batata vadas and various assortment of food to get them ready for another round of dancing.
As fun as it was , like all good things it had to end. People started winding down around 2 and by 3:00, the festivities ended.
Now the volunteers had the herculean task of restoring it back to its pristine state so we could have our BalaVihar the next day. Kudos to all the volunteers who tirelessly worked so we could enjoy a fun and hassle free Holi. May the colors of Joy, Peace, Contentment, Love and Gratitude light up your life not just today but everyday. Happy Holi !!
