Kyun Na Maane Bura?

The festival of colours is just around the corner and the country seems to be stocking up on colours and balloons already. A festival with a tagline such as “Bura Na Maano, Holi hai”, what could possibly turn into hooliganism, right? Wrong. Holi sees more than its fair share of rowdy-ism and some not-so-good moments. Here’s a list of the things that irk us mortals while the rest of the Indian populace rolls around in all sorts of stuff.

1. Eve Teasing: Everyone knows it happens but they’re all too high with joy to put an end to it. It’s the perfect excuse for the not-so-friendly neighbourhood lecher to touch the pretty damsel he’s been eyeing for way too long at all the wrong places. If she protests, pat comes the reply, “Bura na maan, holi hai jaaneman”. It doesn’t help being surrounded by people who’re drunk on bhaang either.
2. Bhaang Intoxication: That brings us to the next problem. It’s the one time during the year when you can be publicly intoxicated and nobody can say anything because well, “Holi hai, yaar. Aaj toh banta hai.”  And it’s no secret that ‘Bhaang’ stands for anything but just that. And that’s where the rowdy-ism exacerbates; people get into fights, wreck public property, the usual.
3. The water balloons: Now, for those who’ve been at the receiving end of these, and most of us have at some point or the other, it’s been painful. But what’s more annoying is the fact that the onslaught starts well in advance of the festival and it tends to be indiscriminate. It could potentially ruin your entire day.
4. Dirty Holi: It may be called the festival of colours but it isn’t just limited to colours. There are all sorts of stuff that are used ranging from eggs to mud and grease. And God knows that they just won’t come off.
5. The sweet delicacies: Indian festivals are known for the awesome food that accompanies it. There has to be some incentive to tolerate all the annoying relatives, no? Holi is synonymous with the mouth watering Gujjias. Who can resist binging on them when there’s a platter laid out in front of you? But the reason they are on this list despite the shared love for them is because they don’t really let you forget the binging all that easy. ‘A moment on your lips, forever on your hips’, is that not what they say?