It’s that time of the year when you have all the valid excuses to dirty your clothes and douse your friends in coloured water. Without dampening your festive spirit, Henna Achhpal gives you a quick glance on having a safe Holi and hosting your very own Holi party...
THROW A HOLI PARTY
Hosting a Holi party is as much fun as being a guest to one. Make sure your party is one of the most rocking ones of the year by keeping the following few pointers in mind:
Guest List: Holi is one of those festivals that need a strict watch on the guest list. Invite only people you know and make sure you know the guests your friends bring along. Welcome one and all but also have someone watch the entrance so you don’t have any strangers crashing your party.
Food: Holi is a festival that involves a lot of water, and water makes people hungry so make sure your party has a lot of easy to eat foods such as chips, fries, kebabs — anything that’s not messy and doesn’t require plates and spoons. You can organise an elaborate menu for the after party, however during the party make sure the food is not too heavy.
Thandai: Another essential of Holi is thandai. Turn to the next page to know how you can prepare your own thandai or where you can purchase it.
Music: A Holi party is incomplete without Bollywood numbers to set the mood. You can either arrange for a DJ and a dance floor or simply compile your own playlist of the most popular Holi numbers (pg 36).
Colours: Keep the safety of your guests in mind and arrange for only natural and organic colours. Keep plates of various colours from where they will be easily accessible to your guests.
Water: If a dry Holi is not your type, you can arrange for a sprinkler and host a rain dance Holi party. To make sure none of your guests shy away from the fun, welcome them with an inflated pool of water.
JOIN OTHERS FOR HOLI
If you’re not in the mood to host your own Holi party, you can attend any one of these parties open for the public along with a bunch of friends...
Holi Dance Marathon: Join the likes of Akki Narula, Arjun Rampal, Pia Trivedi and many more as they celebrate an exciting Holi at InterContinental The Lalit on March 19 in true celebrity style. Get your passes at the venue itself for `1,500 per head.
Where: InterContinental The Lalit, Sahar Airport Road, Andheri
contact: 66992222
Rang De: Gather a bunch of your friends and family to celebrate Holi as a DJ plays foot tapping music to get you in the festive mood. Along with lots of water, colour, music and fun, there is also food arranged so that hunger does not interfere with your festivities. You can book your passed with a click on www.bookmyshow.com priced at `300 for stags and `550 for couples.
Where: JVPD Ground, Opposite PVR Theatre, Juhu
HAVE A SAFE HOLI
For eyes: Dr. Sunil Morerker, Ophthalmologist at Cumballa Hill Hospital gives a few safety tips for your eyes:
- If colour gets into your eyes, wash it with abundant water.
- If the irritation persists, visit your eye surgeon at the earliest.
- If you feel your vision has reduced, rush to your doctor immediately.
- Avoid using contact lenses while playing with colours and water.
- Avoid aiming water balloons at a person’s head.
- Try using organic colours only.
For skin and hair: Dr. Pravin Banodkar, Dermatologist at Cumballa Hill Hospital gives a few tips to protect your skin and hair:
- Before setting out to celebrate Holi, apply liberal amounts of hair oil on your head and moisturising
- cream on all exposed areas of your body as this prevents severe reactions and makes it easier to wash off the colours later.
- When removing the colour, avoid using bathing brushes, pumice stones, scrubbers and rough towels as they tend to push the colours deeper in to your skin triggering a skin rash.
- Apply oil or gel on your hair as they form a barrier on your scalp avoiding damage to the hair.
- Avoid application of heavy exfoliating creams, chemical peels, night creams and fairness creams at least 4-5 days before playing Holi to avoid any kind of irritation.
- Heavy, greasy colours lead to acne breakouts. Avoid greasy colors on the face and areas prone to acne.
- Visit your dermatologist on the slightest sign of a skin rash or irritation.
TOP 5 HOLI SONGS
These top 5 Bollywood songs are a must on your Holi playlist!
- Holi ke din from Sholay
- Rang barse from Silsila
- Ang se ang lagana sajan from Darr
- Aaj na chodenge from Kati Patang
- Do me a favour let’s play Holi from Waqt
natural colours
Ditch those chemical colours available in the market that are harmful for both you and your guests. Instead opt for natural colours that are not only easy to wash off later but are also friendly to your skin. Here are a few easy to make colours that you can prepare at home.
- Yellow: Mix two tablespoons of haldi (turmeric powder) with besan (gram flour)
- Red: Dry red hibiscus flowers in the shade and grind them to make a powder, mix with flour.
- Green: Mix mehendi/henna powder with equal amounts of green gram flour.
To increase the quantity of the coloured powders, simply add plain flour to the colour of your choice.
celebrity holi plans
champi your hair
I’m really excited for Holi as it’s my favourite festival. I’m going to be out of Mumbai and celebrating with my family and close friends. I can’t wait to play pranks on everyone! But, remember to oil your hair thoroughly before jumping in the colours. After playing and washing your hair clean, a good champi massage with coconut oil is the best treatment to regain the shine of your hair.
— Anushka Sharma,Actor
Be safe
We usually celebrate Holi at my cousin sister, Laila Bijlani’s house in Khar. According to me, this one is definitely one of the best Holi parties in Mumbai. To all the readers, I wish you have a happy Holi but be sure to keep your eyes safe and don’t use too many oil colours. Play Holi the way it was initially played, with natural and dry colours.
— Faruk Kabir,Actor
By the beach
I am most probably going to be celebrating Holi this year at some place by the beach. Holi for me usually means colours, great food, malpua and a fun time with family and friends. My suggestion for a safe Holi is to apply a lot of cream or baby oil to exposed parts of your body before your set out to celebrate. This will make sure the colours come off easily later.
— Udita Goswami, Actor
on the set
I don’t like playing Holi with artificial colours. My best Holi celebrations used to be during my childhood when I played with my friends. I remember making water balloons and then throwing them from our building terrace. This year, I’m not sure what I will be doing as I might be shooting. Maybe we’ll have a small celebration on the set itself.
— Yashashri Masurkar, from Rang Badalti Odhani
special holi
I will be spending this Holi with my wife Debina and a few friends. This year’s Holi is also special because it is my first one with my wife after marriage. We usually do a lot of masti by inviting friends and a few colleagues over to our home. This year, I am just hoping I don’t have to shoot on the day so that I can go ahead and make special plans with my family and friends.
— Gurmeet Choudhary from Geet Hui Sabse