Seeing Holi Through My Bespectacled Eyes!

March 18, 2011
Last evening a friend of mine asked me what am I doing on Holi (An Indian festival of colours)?  I had been avoiding this question, but now since, her query is accompanied with a dream come true invitation for a grand Holi Party in a farm house of Delhi, with loads of fun and masti, read traditional Holi celebration by many family and friends along with rain dance and delicious snacks (yeah, we all get to hungry after playing for hours),  I cut a sorry face and declined the offer - courtesy my spectacles.

A little girl playing with Holi colours

I went on and on to explain her that how will I feel when someone approaches to colour my face with gulal (dry powered colour)... I'll have to tell him/her to wait, and then I'll take off my specs, close my eyes and let some colour of joy spread on me... and then I'll wait for a second to judge whether it's over or I still have to keep my eyes closed... huff and then smile and dust off some gulal and then again put on my glasses.  And I'll look so funny grinning that way!

She understood..... poor me.... she thought and after exchanging pleasantaries, she hung up.

For the first time I felt, I was missing something badly.... I was missing playing holi.... the fun way.  All these years the desire to have fun with colours and coloured water and ballons and pichkaris was not there, just a customary smear on the cheek would do.  But now, as the age is progressing (!!) I'm feeling like becoming a kid again.  And the biggest impediment between me and my beloved "holi ke rang" is my glasses!  Hey, by the way, glasses really come in between lovers when they want to cuddle up!!

Coming back,  I was imagining me playing holi the old bollywood ishtyle.... there is nothing that beats "rang barse bheege chunar wali rang barse" song of movie Silsila!! Ah, it would have been a real spicy Holi, if I donned a white chudidar kurta with a colourful dupatta, all set with the Holi mood (not to forget those kajal rimmed eyes and some lip gloss too!!) surrounded by family and friends, and the song playing in the background ( no, can't expect anyone singing that for me!)  and acted coy and vibrant like Rekha did!!! ..... but huff, for that I had to wear contact lenses, which I really don't want to do, as the colours can not just ruin my lenses but also cause me eye infection.

People wearing spectacles face a lot of trouble during Holi celebrations.  Even if they wear spectacles, the colour settles in the tiny spaces of the frame.  Wearing a rim-less spectacles on Holi may cause it to break.  Specially children who wear specs feel a lot of discomfort.  So, if you happen to know spectacled people (which I'm sure, you know many) be careful while smearing the colours on their face, and it's better to ask them before hand, or else you could even hurt the person with his/her own spectacles.  Specially be careful with kids.


Have a safe and colourful Holi !

RESTLESS :)

PS: Also, don't forget to apply cream, or oil or vaseline on all the exposed skin to minimise the effect of colours on it. Keep you hair tied up and oiled before playing holi. The vibrant colours of Holi look fabulous on white dresses (Girls can try wearing white top and harem pants)

PPS: Pic courtesy this site.


22 comments:

Deguide said...

i believe you should play holy with plain water, which i have been recommending in memory of Tsunami vicitims....cheer up...understand your plight

Prateek Bagri said...

I take out my specks when it is Holi, but the thing that bothers me the most is kind of colour and chemicals used in the colour. My eyes gets red even if the minute particle manages to slip into them. Therefore first I resist, ask them whether it's Gulal or not.

Jack said...

Restless,

How can you let harmless spectacles play villainous to your quest for some fun? Does not one remove these while cuddling up? Of course, unless one is blind as bat in day time without them. I just keep my specs in hand as I am not going to read anything including bus number from a distance. Then before use wash these with running water. It is different matter that I have not gone out for a very long time now but that does not mean I stop those who visit my house, the joy of colouring me as much as they want to. Go ahead and play HOLI as one should never suppress harmless desires.

Happy HOLI to all of you. Waiting to see a post full of fun you had on HOLI.

Take care

Anonymous said...

@restless - actually your pen name and holi kind of go together well, no? i can imagine you playing holi a la rang barse style and trying to manage both your dupatta and your specs while "coloured" people are running towards you to splash you in many hues. nice image and nice post.

Vivek said...

Hi Friend ,

You should definitely play Holi , ya for the specs wearing ppl its a lil bit of more hard-work , though I fall in that category ..but its goes well as far colors are dry when water comes to party its gets tough.

So just enjoy it don't think much.

RE : Yup "Disqus" is a Good commenting Tool ..as well as you can also check with " IntenseDebate " commenting tool which is also nice.
I was out on an official trip so had no access to blogosphere :(.
Today I M back ...

Alka Gurha said...

My son wears spectacles and it sure is a problem. I dread skin allergies due to harmful colors....

Blasphemous Aesthete said...

I'd suggest you keep an extra pair ready. Smudge the previous one as much as you like, or put it at the mercy of holi, and then voila, your investment pays off when holi is over.
Now preserve the 'not in very good state' spectacles for the next event.

Do play holi!

Blasphemous Aesthete

Rachit said...

hehehe... well I also wear specs yet I cannot live without playing HOLI.

deepika said...

gud post....let everythin go...enjoy.. :)

Mayank said...

well am lucky i can live without my glasses though the world does look a little dull.
go ahead and enjoy the festival - without glasses you would bump into strangers at worst. not a bad day to do that though !

magiceye said...

:) pack up those glasses and go have fun!!
holi aayee re!!

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Oh, it's fabulous to hear from so many people about mu specy woes! Thanks!

Deguide - u have given a great advice... shall do it.

Prateek - oh, that's too bad. Yeah it gets scary with this condition. But enjoy Holi by eating the delicacies and clicking pics :)

Uncle Jack - thanks for cheering me up! shall get into some fun :)

Sharbori - :D hey but how does my name go with Holi?!

Vivek- welcome... hmm with so many ppl telling me to go and have some fun... I must then :D

RESTLESS

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Alka - yeah, my kids too wear specs... so it's tough time for them too.

BA - haha... and how funny will I look with those rose tinted glasses!!

Rachit - lucky boy... u must go on!

Deepika - thanks :)

Mayank - haha, filmy stuff ha?!

Happy Holi to all!!!!

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

BTW, just added the Facebook "LIKE" button... at last!!!!

Thanks Prashanth and Prateek :)

RESTLESS

Anu said...

Hey RS, you shouldn't miss enjoying during such occasions!! And now you are already worried of not being able to be the part of this celebration!
Be prepared, buy another glass, or take some alternate action!! Go and enjoy the colors!!
Holi is not a great deal of celebration in south india...but I grew up amidst a lot of north indian friends, so have had fond memories towards this festival...I really don't like the green colored!! It stays on the face for more days and makes us look ugly too :(

Anonymous said...

This year the holi celebrations in Hyderabad not well. It may be the reason of Separate state issue.

BookWorm said...

mmm.. good post.. but i wont comment much here.. for neither i play holi..nor i wear glasses...!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hope you had a great Holi:-) Don't let the specs become an excuse to have fun!

Raksha Bhat said...

Belated Holi wishes to you....you have something on my blog for you...hop in and see:)

The Enchantress said...

Awww....this was such a cute post !!!

My Angel wears specs and i never knew he would be feeling uncomfortable playing holi...

thanks.....

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Vaish - thanks dear :) did play a bit :)

lifestyle india - oh ok.

Bookworm - it's ok :)

Sajeevkmenon - yeah thanks!

Raksha bHat - thanks dear, surely will see :)

RESTLESS

Vee said...

i wear glasses and i used to play holi. so totally true, from my personal experience as well. :)

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