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Gujjias & gulaal The colours of Holi remain the same elsewhere in the country. Tricity folks from other states bring a taste of their traditions
And, when we talk to people from down South as how they celebrate the festival, we are told that they do not celebrate Holi at all. "We do not have any Holi celebrations in the South, but thanks to the cultural exchange between people of the North who are settled there and us, now we all know about the festival. But there is no such festivity, nor it is an official holiday," says Sundram, owner Sundrams-26. He adds, "However, in Chennai, we have a place called Paris Corner where one gets to see Holi celebrations as a lot of North Indians live there."
Travelling East, Holi here is an altogether different game. In Bengal it is called Dul Purnima or Dhol Yatra. Says Subrata, an educationist, "Play of colours is there, but it is followed by puja. Songs are sung in praises of god and like in the North, here too we celebrate Lord Krishna and Radha's love." Talking about food, Subrata says, "Bengalis are known for their love for fish, but on this day only vegetarian dishes are cooked. And yes, that too without onion and garlic." Say sweetmeat and he says, "Ladies of the house make mithias made of rice. Other than that jalebi is a must have." In Assam Holi is better known as Fakua. It is a two-day affair that sees people having parsad of fruits and moong dal. That's not all. For the people who follow Shanker Dev, the Vaishnavite Guru, it is a three-day fest called Daul Yatra, marked by kirtan and play of colours. "In the towns of Rajasthan, colours play a significant role," says Mona Rajwade, a teacher at St Johns-26. Letting us into the Holi culture of the state, she says, "Just like Lohri, we make a bonfire a day before Holi. A lavish dinner is served afterwards with gur ki kheer as a 'must' delicacy. Another tradition that has been followed is to roast choliya and peanuts (green peas) in the bonfire and eat which is supposed to bring good luck. These are little things that add a regional charm to the festival." She adds, "Unlike the advent of Chinese and artificial colours everywhere, there are still families in Rajasthan who soak flowers and use them as colours for Holi." While the colours of Holi remain the same throughout the country, it's the slight twist in traditions that add an extra charm to the festival. In Maharashtra, the festival is known as Rangapanchami and a special sweetmeat called puran pouli is made on this day. Coming to Haryana, it is called as Dulandi Holi here. The Gujaratis have a mock drama, where Krishna tries to break the pots and steal butter. Besides this, men take out a procession and warn ladies to hide their milk and butter as Krishna may come and steal it. In Himachal Pradesh, Holi is celebrated the most in Sujanpur Tira, a small town in Hamirpur. Last but not the least, for Punjabis, Holi is all about rang, bhang and dhamaal. Here it is called 'Hola Mohalla'. Well, in the end we can say traditions remain an important part, but Holi is about making merry with the colours and eating halwas, puris, gujias and malpuas too. jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com
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In the confession box This gang of guys and gals like to play it dirty—muck, eggs, cow dung and sticky colours Ugly, dirty, naughty…with mud, with muck, with markers…there are thousands of ways to celebrate Holi…there's a reason why that indelible ink used in Holi still remains equally inerasable from memory. No beating about the bushes. So, when was the last time you celebrated Holi? Last year, of course! When was the last time you celebrated 'that Holi'? Don't look the other way, count stars in the sky or fiddle with the cell... Oh come on, you know what we mean. A little confession boost spilled secrets, exposed skeletons in the cupboards and even Miss Goody Two Shoes, mama's nice li’l girl had scandalous revelations. We nudge youngsters to share the dirty Holi experiences and here they go.
The festival of colours by virtue of its nature brings out extremes in people, the ones who play and those who don't. And the ones who do, at times, get really dirty. “It depends on who starts it. I try to save myself till the last moment but once it begins, then no backing out," says Sukrant Bhatia, a final year student, School of Communication Studies, Panjab University. He recalls, "I remember those Holis I celebrated in hostel, you can imagine a huge lawn filled with mud and water. It was so tempting to throw the neat and clean, bathed people into it." Still bet he didn't tell all! As did Vipul Jain, a former student of the Department of Laws P.U, "I particularly recall this Holi at my friends farmhouse where we used cowdung, eggs et al. Our gang would go cruising on bikes and throw eggs at others." Eggs! The 'protein infused' celebration appears to be the favourite. Laughs Sukrant, "We would later shift to Sector-15 market and throw eggs at whoever we could lay our hands on." Sure, it can't begin that dirty? He adds, "Of course it begins the clean way with colours and all, the shift is gradual." And extreme, shall we say. Hey girls are not shying away either. Smiles Ganimat Kapoor, an I.T student, "Have you ever heard of Pilot pen's ink? We mixed it in huge quantity in water colours, it just doesn't come off for days." Needless to say, 'heavy-duty celebration' demands hardcore scrubbing. Says Vipul, "We would later bathe in the tubewell, tank and indulge in strenuous clean-up act." Interestingly, none could recall the 'neat and nice' affairs with colours. As Sukrant laughingly, puts it, "Come on, isn't that obvious? Whenever it's fun or exciting, it's memorable." Then there were sagas that would never get printed! Hey, do you have something to share too? manpriya@tribunemail.com
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Bips and Dhoni pichkaris a hot favourite in Bihar
Pichkaris (sprayers) carrying photos of Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar are in heavy demand among the Holi revellers. Top cricketers and Bollywood stars also continue to be popular along with them in the market before the festival of colours. The pichkari-makers have put on display the pichkaris of different sizes and colours named after Railway minister and RJD supremo, Lalu Prasad, his arch rival and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Team India captain M S Dhoni, Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu to encash on their popularity. Pichkaris shaped as guns, grenades, rocket-launchers with flashing lights as well as the traditional ones with prices ranging from Rs 10-1,000 have flooded the market. — PTI
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Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra urges Indians to uphold and preserve the rich Indian culture
"We have a lovely country handed to us from generation after generation... and we have messed it up. We have completely undone the thousand years of heritage. When we urge the youth to do something, they ask what has the government done," said Mehra. "What they need to understand is you are the government. The youth need to decide how the world should look at India," he added. Mehra has also directed a TV commercial, featuring actor Aamir Khan and scripted by Prasoon Joshi, for the ministry's campaign. He says he was extremely excited when he was approached to work towards the cause. "This was a great opportunity to communicate something to the public that would do good to the country. The writer and director in me was excited to communicate to the public what needs to be done," he said. "That is why when the ministry approached us, we decided to endorse the initiative and not charge any money to create these films. This is our way of giving back something to the nation and I hope we are successful in creating and raising the bar of awareness," Mehra added. The filmmaker, whose latest offering has been the Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor-starrer Delhi-6, which revived the old world charm of the Chandni Chowk area of the capital, is also part of the face-to-face programme of the campaign. As part of the programme, Mehra visited select areas here including various PVR multiplexes to interact with the people and give them insights into the initiative.
— IANS
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Banoongi mein Bollywood star I want to be an actor, says Sourabhee Debbarma
Winning the title is just a "stepping stone" to her dreams, she says. "This is not the end but a stepping-stone to my dream. I am not just a singer but an artist and will love to see my self being a Bollywood star one day," Sourabhee said. It has been just a week since Sourabhee has been crowned as the fourth Indian Idol, but the singer is not just basking in the glory of fame. She is planning for the future as well. "I know I have to work really hard to take this forward. This is just an entry to the big world. I would have to go to composers, music directors to get work and prove myself," Sorabhee said. — PTI
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Rang Barse on digi dhols Golden oldies top the charts on DJ consoles
"People need not even demand these songs as they are our first choice also. Since years, we begin the holi celebrations with Rang Barse and it remains the same. Even now, people are so fond of this song that we are asked to play it over 10 times," says DJ KK who will be playing music at the North Park Holi bash. The city DJs understand the festive mood pretty well and let us know more about the music they will play.
DJ Piyush and DJ Bally, who will be playing at the North Park, are putting in some special efforts. "Of course, I will be playing the most demanded Rang barse but then I have created a medley with it by adding some of the famous Amitabh Bachchan dialogues. Also I have remixed the song, Holi ke din dil khil jaatein hain from the movie Sholay especially for the occasion." He feels that club music will not be played on holi bashes at all. ashima@tribunemail.com
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According to King of Punjabi music, actor and Coca-Cola brand ambassador, Gurdas Maan, "It feels great to be associated with brand Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola has always been associated with refreshment, happiness and moments of joy. All these are the qualities that I closely identify with. I look forward to a very exciting innings with Coca-Cola." —TNS
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Holi hazards and how!
"To safegaurd your health, use organic colours instead of synthetic ones this Holi," stated Dr Vikas Bhutani, consultant, Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, in an advisory issued in public interest by Fortis Hospital today. According to Dr Bhutani, "The synthetic colours available in the market, including dry colors, water colors and pastes, can be hazardous to health. The hazard increases if they are used after mixing with oil as then they easily sneak into the body system.” Dry colors (or Gulal) contain a number of toxic chemicals or heavy metals, which have harmful effects on the skin. Lead is the most dangerous of all the heavy metals found in Holi colors and can affect the nervous system, kidneys and the reproductive system. Among children, it can affect the physical and mental growth and delay development. In case of pregnant women, it can result in premature birth, low birth weight or even miscarriage. "On the other hand, organic colours are very safe and can easily be made at home," said Dr Bhutani. Giving examples, he said, "You can use haldi mixed with flour for dry yellow color, boiled and soaked petals of pomegranate again for yellow color, beet root pieces soaked in water for magenta color, petals of flowers of Semul/Tesu for saffron color, lime mixed with haldi for a deep red color and henna powder mixed with flour for mehndi color." Safe Holi
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Red alert Shahnaz Husain Holi is celebrated at a time when Nature renews and refreshes herself. With a little care, we can do the same, sustaining and protecting our beauty. The dry "Gulal" and the wet colours that we play with are not derived from natural sources. They contain chemicals, shiny particles of mica and even lead, which not only irritate the skin, but also collect on the scalp. Since Holi is played out of doors, sun-exposure can also have a detrimental effect on the skin. Apart from harmful UV radiation, sun-exposure makes the skin dry by causing depletion of moisture. People with dry skins can really suffer with itching, flaking and rough patches. Both the skin and hair can become dry and dull after playing holi. Here are some tips to keep your skin and hair healthy.
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The Panjab University campus recently had Mika performing on stage for Jhankaar celebrations. The scene turned ugly with some of the students and girls alleging misbehavior and use of objectionable language on his part. We ask the girlies, what do they think. Should celebrities know where to draw the line or fans too are, at times, responsible? It's not for the first time, Mika has been part of a controversy. All of us know him enough on that count. So even if he did, no surprises. Its not about drawing the line but both should know how to conduct themselves with decency and dignity.
Mika is someone I always associate with controversy. And yes, celebs should know where to draw the line. Fan following is no license to indulge in any act in any manner and take them for granted. Gurleen Kaur, fourth year student.
Jaspuneet Kaur, architect student.
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Trauma wards The incident of ragging resulting in the death of a medical student makes us once again take a look at the system
Who to blame? "Students for one," says Professor Rana Nayar, Department of English, Panjab University. "There's so much of latent aggression in them given the competitive times we live in, when unleashed, it creates havoc." He adds, "In colleges, generally students are not provided with a sense of belonging. Even at this age, they are vulnerable and need moral support to prevent distorted behavior and sensitive reaction to such a behavior. Next come the authorities, staff, and principal." Agrees psychologist Rajshree Sarda, "Certainly the administration is to be blamed. Ragging can scar very sensitive minds, though the resilient ones survive." Terming the concept an extreme form of bully, she questions, "Of course, sensitive children need to be taught survival skills, but why can't rules be made to punish the perpetrators?" Rules strict enough to make the seniors shudder and shiver at the thought of consequences. If there's another 'R' that's come to be associated ragging, that's recurring. It's a vicious circle of headline-hogging incident, strict rules for sometime, then complacency blurring into repetition till it gets ugly once again and draws our attention. Recalls Prof Nayar, "It's not been the first medical college. Sometime back, similar incident happened in Medical College-32 also." And quotes an experience, "There is this guy in IIT-Mumbai who had to be hospitalised because he had joined the institute just a few weeks before and it was his birthday and how he was physically handled and stuff like that." While their being recurring remains a fact, the incident being typical of professional colleges remains a debate. Says Rupinder Tewari, professor, Department of Biotechnology, PU, "As much as medical and engineering colleges, it's true of hostels as well." He shares an experience of a boy, "Generally, whosoever doesn't drink in hostels is treated as an outcast amongst his peers." He continues, "The problem lies with the authorities also. For example, inefficient and unaware hostel wardens who are there just for accommodation's sake." The issues are endless, infinite. Is anybody even listening? manpriya@tribunemail.com
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Wheel of success Girls are now adding to their desirability factor by driving SUVs and luxury cars
Act one: Long, lonely road. A swanky car zipping past, followed by screeching halt. It reverses and the door flungs open. Out comes a young and stunning looking beauty. Well, every guy's dream. Act two. The swanky car zipping past. The location is now PU campus. And it's not a dream. The campus is bustling with girls, who make a style statement on wheels. Be it luxury cars from Skoda or Honda Civic, chic SUVs like Endeavor or Pagero, girls are driving in style. Says Priyanka Gupta, a law student, "Well, driving a Honda CRV makes heads turn while I drive past. It adds to the glam factor too." Talk of adding some spunk to your study routine. But driving a jazzy car is more than just style. Shruti Gupta, from the same department, says, "I am fond of big cars. The car you drive speaks volumes of your personality. But all the attention and status enhancement are complementary as for me, comfort rules." While for some it's status, for others it's about need. Says Supriya Sood, a media studies student, "I live away from my family and so when going out or traveling at late hours, a car is safer than a two-wheeler." And style is sure to follow when you get that comfort and security by driving a Honda Civic. This fad breaks the monopoly of guys over the campus SUV brigade. Shares Sakshi Khullar, a mass communications student, who drives an Endeavor, "If guys can flaunt their sparkling cars to add to their desirability factor, so can we. Guys driving mean machines is campus culture, but a girl in SUV or big car in the university is still considered a big thing. It's just like wearing a designer dress. Adds to your style." With the flashy cars, the campus has become a ramp show for flaunting your latest pick. Moving out of cars, girls are also showing off their spunk with two wheelers. Says Supreet Kaur, who drives a Bullet, though has a roadie spirit. "Driving a bike or bullet is no big deal, personally. But yeah, the attention is. The second looks that I get while driving are encouraging." And who is the centre of attraction, the bullet or the driver? Your guess is as good as mine! Talk of balancing equations and campus beauties sure know the basics. So, all you guys just sit back and let the girls drive in style. lifestyle@tribunemail.com
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As spring paves way to bright and sunny days ahead, people across the country cut loose for a day of colourful rebellion. Thick with gulal and abheer, this day is about shedding all inhibitions and soaking in the colours of season. Holi is associated with numerous legends, spread over 16 days in Vrindavan and Mathura and the festival sees a lot of diversity as we move from North to South, East to West. 
Celebrating the eternal love story of Radha and Krishna, the day is significant in Mathura and Vrindavan and its here that one gets to see the real colours of Holi. Known worldwide, here Holi is about playful teasing. Since Radha belonged to Barsana and Krishna to Nandagaon, on the day of Holi, men from Nandagaon go to Barsana and celebrate Holi with women there. Men try to colour women with gulal and pichkari and women escape and beat them with sticks. 
Water sprayers splashed with the images of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his bete noire Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are selling like hot cakes in the state with Holi revellers wanting to add a dash of political colour to their celebrations.
Bollywood filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who is associated with the tourism ministry's Atithi Devo Bhavah campaign, urged Indians to uphold and preserve the culture, tradition and heritage of the country.
Country's first female Indian Idol, Sourabhee Debbarma aspires to become a Bollywood star.
Retro comes calling yet again! Though the shift in choice of music usually jigs at this time of the year, we are happy at least it does. And, the people who demand this music and those who remix it (one more time) term it-'cult'. Their question rather answers it all for us, "Do you think a holi bash is possible without the ever popular Rang Barse number?" We certainly got it! We might love to jive on the latest tracks with ultra fast and western beats at the usual parties, but when it comes to Holi, we want our DJ to play and mix the old Hindi tracks only. And well, they too oblige happily year after
year.
Emcee Bawa from the city will be playing music at a Holi party in Jalandhar and has picked the best Hindi tracks, "Other than the must have Rang Barse, I'll be playing Khaike paan banaras wala, govinda aala re, ang se ang lagana, which are fun filled songs to make people shake a leg." He plans to treat people with a variety of Bollywood tracks. "I will be playing some new numbers that gel with the feel of Holi, "Songs like emotional atayachar from the movie Dev d and Maa da Laadla vigad gaya from Dostana are perfect dance numbers for Holi. 
Ringing in the summer season Coca-Cola in India is all set to unveil 'Open Happiness', the 2009 global campaign for brand Coca-Cola in the state of Punjab. The global communication initiative is all about inviting people to welcome small moments of joy and happiness into their lives. The idea is to pause, enjoy a bottle of Coca-Cola and also enjoy life's simple pleasures.
Divya
Dogra, student.
This particular incident reeks of the mindset, typical of people from this region or so I feel. That has to change. And yes, at times, the celebs too try acting a little cool and indulge in objectionable behaviour, gestures or language. 
Euphoric as you might be, revelling in the spirit of the festival today, but that's no excuse to not scratch uneven surfaces. It didn't happen for the first time. The heinous, ugly, inhuman, hideous, revolting, evil, shocking, callous (seriously, we ran out of adjectives) side of ragging didn't show up for the first time. And that, unfortunately, is the most unfortunate part of the incident. More unfortunate than probably the incident itself. A 19-year-old medical student's life was snuffed out even before it could begin. No amount of screams, screeches, wailing or weeping will revert the accident. Yet, the needful needs to be done. 