It was the season of colour and even Mother Nature was at her best. The children of the colony decided to celebrate Holi and invited siblings Kiran and Asha. They were new to the colony and had never celebrated Holi before. Asha was excited but Kiran was reticent.
“How can we celebrate Holi with them, when we have never even spoken with them?” asked Kiran.
“Since they have invited us, we are sure to make friends with them,” said Asha.
Kiran did not think that throwing colours at each other was fun. “I am content with watching rather than taking part,” he said.
“They are using home-made dyes and natural dyes, so there is nothing to be afraid of,” said Asha. But Kiran was not convinced.
Missing out
Later, Kiran went out onto his balcony to look down at the celebrations. Almost everyone was there with their pichkaris and buckets. Then they began to play and everyone was shouting and laughing and throwing colour.
Kiran thought, “How funny everybody looks. I wonder what Asha looks like.” He could see that everyone was having a wonderful time.
Was he missing all the fun, he wondered. He wanted to be a part of the crowd now. If only Asha had been a bit more forceful. Could he join them now? He didn’t know anyone and how was he to find Asha?
Kiran’s thoughts were interrupted by his Grandma who had just returned from the temple.
“Look at them enjoying themselves? Are you going to just stand there and look and miss out on all the fun? You should have gone with Asha,” said Grandma.
Kiran was feeling miserable. He knew Asha would be having a good time. Grandma understood Kiran’s dilemma.
“There is nothing wrong in reconsidering your action. You can always join them now. Holi is a good day to make friends. Come on, let’s not waste any more time. Let’s go down,” said an excited Grandma.
Kiran and Grandma soon joined the crowd. But where was Asha? She was not to be seen anywhere. Finally they found her. She was sitting away from the crowd and there was no colour on her at all. Grandma and Kiran caught up with Asha who was sitting far away.
“We were searching for you in the crowd. Why are you not playing Holi?” asked Grandma.
“Kiran told me he didn’t want to come, but I saw him watching from the balcony and I knew he was feeling bad. I didn’t want to make him feel more miserable by enjoying myself,” said Asha.
Kiran knew what she meant. He realised that his attitude was wrong, and it was spoiling the fun for others too.
“But being your sister, I knew you would join us soon. I waited patiently for Grandma and you to come so that we could celebrate Holi together,” said Asha with a twinkle in her eye.
Grandma applauded Asha. “Well that’s the real spirit and celebration of Holi, it’s not just about applying or smearing colours for the sake of it. It’s the virtues and values that we practise that makes it even more cheerful and colourful, otherwise there is no meaning in our celebration,” said Grandma.
