Bura na mano holi hai!

A very happy Holi to all of you. Holi Hai !! If you did celebrate the Festival of Colors last weekend, I hope you had a fun time covering your family and friends in bright colors this year.

This year’s Holi or for that matter any and all festivities this year are going to be extra special! After two years, it finally feels like we are going to be ok! In spite of all that is happening around us, in the world right now I hope you find your little moment(s) of joy. Seize it for yourself and enjoy it.

Holi Hai 2022

Last year’s Holi celebrations we had my friend Satya and her kids over to our place to play holi.

This year it was no different. In every party you need one person who loves partying as much or more than you! When it comes to Holi that person is my friend Satya.

Satya undoubtedly enjoys playing holi! You can tell by the way she chases the kids and I all over our backyard emptying packets of colors on us. She’s on a mission and won’t give up until she has covered covered you with color 😂😛.

Back in India playing holi in true sense involves colored water! Buckets full of colored water being sprayed, thrown at each other using Pichkari (water gun) or water balloons.

And guess what It’s so much fun!! Yes, getting drenched in colored water actually is fun.

If it was a bit warm this Friday, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Satya came prepared to play Holi the Indian way with colored water balloons and pichkari (water guns)😂. I know the kids would have loved it.

Holi Soirée

This year we played holi twice. Once at our place and the next day we played at Swati’s house. To be honest when Swati first sent the invite, inviting us to a Holi soirée . I had an idea what the word could mean but I still had to look it up in the dictionary to get the meaning right.

Merriam Webster defines it is as “an evening party or gathering, typically in a private house, for conversation or music.”. The French word soirée means “evening”. Adapting from the French, the everyday English meaning is “party that takes place during the evening”.

That is the thing about Swati, she is anything but plain! I am pretty sure , at this point in your life, you must have hosted friends and families.

How many times have you invited them to a soirée? I know how many times I have invited anyone like this. NONE.

Swati is one of those fun, perky, cheery, vivacious kind of a person and her parties are true reflection of her personality, equally lively,bouncy and energetic. The parties she throws are nowhere close to being dull or listless. That’s a skill there not many have.

If she wasn’t working in IT, she could definitely have a career in event management and she would be doing really well there. I have no doubts in my mind about that. And I am not just talking about just how she puts together the theme of the party, readying her house to welcome people.

It’s what that doesn’t meet the eye. I am talking about her patience, energy, relentless planning and her eye for the tiniest details.

And the fact that she’s the most gracious host is like a cherry on the cake. She welcomes you with the brightest smile and that smile stays through the party.

From how she presents the food, to how she lays down the table- a welcoming sight , to ensuring that the spread caters to everyone’s palate including children, to the planning the games which are always so much fun, she always goes that extra mile.

In the past, every time that we have gone over to their place, I have been nothing but amazed by her hosting skills 💕.

And don’t even get me started on the pictures. She loves making memories as much as I. There is always one spot, a nook in her house that is has been just set up to take those fun pictures!

I mean look at ones below, I dare you to say they don’t look lovely 😜. I am in love with these ❤️.

Back home, I can’t help but try some of her ideas. Of course they never turn up as pretty looking or effortless like hers 😂. Hats off to her for making it look so effortless everytime!

Oops, I got carried away as always! Coming back to holi, we had an amazing time at her place. Girls and I went early and S joined us couple of hours later.

Long story short, our refrigerated died on us and S had to stay back to get it fixed. Albeit late, he enjoyed the spread of delicious food that Swati served us that evening.

S who didn’t play holi with the girls and I the previous evening couldn’t help himself that evening. And before I knew he was covered in color from head to toe.

It was a fun fun holi party that ended with big smiles and with all of us covered in color! Holi Hai.

The world needs more colors. Spread colors of Joy and Happiness. Happy Holi.