Holi-er than thou..

It is the Indian festival Holi tomorrow. They play it by smearing some dry color in vibrant hues like red, green, magenta, yellow (lemon and cadmium both the shades, I mean you name it they have it) on each other's face, clothes. It makes for a very colorful spectacle all the shops selling bright colors and water pistols which are kids fave.

They fill the water pistol with water and then empty it on some unsuspecting soul passing by. One thing thats really not good is the use of water balloons. Unsuspecting school/college girls are at the recieving end of this practice by kids and most times goons. The festival seems to give them a licence to leer and smear while saying the adage that goes with this festival - ' Dont mind this because its Holi..

Women who use public transport dread this wonderful festival because of this ugly twist to it. The law is getting stricter by the day though.

The kid is out there in the balcony emptying the teeny-weeny water pistol on the potted plants I have outside. That takes care of the watering chore for me hahaa.

I've been trying my hand at various things that I'd never tried before in life. Making some traditional Holi delicacies being one and come 2009 I tried my hand at pickles. I took it up as a challenge. And God was I surprised when it turned out ok.

So I got carried away and now have pickled lemon, pickled Indian gooseberry, pickled green chillies all on my shelf with a Indian gooseberry jam bottle too.

For Holi I made some fried hard crackers -(mathi) and Gujhiya( Traditional Indian Sweet Puff) which is made of refined white flour kneaded and then rolled out to actually rolling it into small circles , then stuffed and folded/sealed (stuffing is usually Powdered sugar as per taste, Cardamom powder, coconut powder, Dry fruits - pistachios, almonds, sultana's etc) And of course then deep fried like the crackers. It took all day yesterday and two hours today to wrap it off.

Hmm not bad - I liked the experience.

I am constantly amazed at myself. From being a diehard feminist in college and radical/rebel against the stereotypical roles cut out for women in the Indian society- to fighting the caste system of this country, I have come a long way.

Actually die hard feminism in India some years ago just translated into wearing westerns, and not accepting the gender unequality prevalent in the home, the street, the school/college and then later the office. If you did this then you were a feminist.

Now I have changed and how. I take a lot of crap, am in a chauvinistic ( in approach) marriage, and whoa enjoy cooking. ( This last change I dont mind at all. Cooking is very theraupatic just like gardening I feel)

Ok guys happy Holi to all of you! Tomorrow's gonna be an off :)