HOLI.

Holi memories and holi food, Special Thandai .... and ... holi wishes to all of you .... Enjoy Holi with lots of goodies ..... but by using water sparingly ...... Happy Holi to all my Frds ... May God Bless Us All with Good Health, Wealth and Prosperity .....

There are many Mythological stories about Holi …. One of them is as follows ..

Young Krishna known to be very playful and mischievous was extremely jealous of Radha's fair complexion since he himself was very dark. One day, Krishna complained to his mother Yashoda about the injustice of nature, which made Radha so fair and him so dark. To pacify the crying young Krishna, the doting mother asked him to go and colour Radha's face in whichever colour he wanted. In a mischievous mood, naughty Krishna applied colour on Radha's face; Making her look similar to himself. The lovable prank of Krishna where he applied colour on Radha and other gopis using water jets called pichkaris gained popularity. So much so, that it evolved as a tradition and later, a full-fledged festival. To date, use of colours and pichkaris is rampant during Holi. The festival is wonderfully brought alive each year all over India, particularly in Mathura, Vrindavan, Banaras and Nandgaon, the places associated with Krishna and Radha. The entire country gets drenched in the colour waters when it is time for Holi and celebrates the immortal love of Krishna and Radha.

Due to changing times and conditions, one has to accept reality and make good with whatever resources are available. Due to scarcity of water, it is in the interest of one’s own and of the nation to avoid wastage of water due to scarcity. Do enjoy Holi with your near and dear ones with lots of prepared goodies, but using water sparingly. Happy Holi to all my Friends. May God Bless Us All with Health, Wealth and Prosperity. 

A Little bit of Thandai served during Holi : Thandai is embedded with the tradition of Holi. A refreshing and healthful drink thandai is savoured in the midst of the play of colours when people become a little exhausted throwing each other in the pool of coloured waters. Drinking thandai in Holi also gels with the weather as temperature runs high at that time and thandai is a coolant.

Thandai is also laced with the intoxicating bhang which when consumed makes one sing, dance and go wild. Infact, at some places in Northern India like Banaras (now Varanasi) bhang thandai is used as a mood setter for the festival of Holi. Bhang is mixed with milk, ice and cream and added to the thandai to produce a kick. While some become deliriously happy others turn as depressed as hell. Caution is needed when taking a bhang thandai as overdose might not be prove to be good. However, I have not added any Bhang to the thandai prepared, so it can be safely consumed by both youngsters and children alike. 

Although home-made thandais always tastes better, now everywhere in India, it is possible to buy commercial concentrates and make instant thandais. But once you try out making Thandai at home which is really very simple, you will never want to buy the readymade one’s. One is never sure as to the mixture of ingredients in the commercially available concentrates. Do make your own Thandai Masala Powder, which is really very easy and enjoy the chilled drink during Holi with your family and friends. 

|| Jai Radhe Krishna ||

Disclaimer :

Picture And Story Courtesy : Compiled from Various Sources on ....