The day after

 The day after the Holi is always special. In fact, many people may not care as much for the Holi as they do for the day after. The day after Holi celebrates the Rangpanchami or the Dhulwad. 

It is the day of colours. People of all stages from the society and from all sorts of age groups enjoy  this game of colours. Water scarcity never seens to bother them. The typical college areas of Pune, especially the youthful Fergusson College Road, is full of colourful faces which are so much like masks that you would not be able to recognise a friend or a frenemy beneath!

The usual debates about the day after such as the harmful chemical colours or the natural colours made of natural ingredients rage as usual. Well, these days, even otherwise, people colour their hair, paint faces with the make-up, eat food with synthetic colours, and so on. Yet the same debate always carries on, at times, I almost feel as if it is a ritual.

Actually, the religious ritual on this day after would be to mix the ashes of the Holi with water, and throw it each other.  It would be an ideal beginning for the hot season, what with the summer approaching real fast. Ma be, once upon a time, when the social structure was very strict and rigid, this particular day must have been a form of release of all the suppressed lewdnesses and lawlessness that would otherwise threaten the society.

Now it is more an occasion of getting drunk on the so-called 'thandai' which is nothing in comparison with what 'normally' most people get high on these days. 

Actually, 'the day after' this year was a lunar eclipse. Most people hardly seemed aware of it either the religious way or the scientific/astronomic mode. They went about their 'joys' as mindlessly as ever.

In fact, hence, I often feel that 'the day after' never seems to be any different for most people, be it the day after a defining exam or be it the day after Diwali or the day after a marriage or a death! Every 'day after' is always the same! It is as if the unique speciality that makes life full of charm is lost to the banal. The real loss indeed! Long live the day after!

Pratima@ Excess always has a negative effect (on) 'the day after'. In my childhood, each festival had its uniqueness, the special food/dishes, the special rituals, and so on. To give an example, currently, all the Diwali dishes are available the year long. So the 'janta' craves for 'pau bhaji' on a Diwali day!  

Similarly, so much are people constantly buying, what with the credit (card money) that no novelty remains for the festival special buy even when they would go for it, too. Hence the very charm of 'the day after' is lost! Life thus grows truly banal because it is thus flattened in to the 'typical' sans any variety 'the day after' symbolised! 

Actually, 'the day after' has its own charm. As most people prefer the food metaphor these days, let me end by asserting that the 'one evening old' jilebi or shrikhand has a heavenly thanda, thanda, kool, kool taste' the day after'!