Belated Holi Mubarak

holi_dhuleti1A very happy and belated holi wishes to all of you. Delayed because I was offline almost whole of yesterday. I had taken a holi getaway, Dhuleti Mudflat hiking in the Gulf of Khambhat. Though I know of the group Diving Deep, since my friends went for a Sharad Purnima event at a farmhouse near Ahmedabad. This time I reached their event.

Day before Holi I came to know, that the day after Holika dehen happens, is called Dhuleti in Gujarat and some other northern parts of India. Now this seemed too much like ‘dhool mein litana’, rolling in the mud, literally.

We all know of, or have heard of, holi being played with dirt, cow dung or more recently with grease and enamel paint. These types of holi were often only played by ruffians, the loafers, the no good for nothings. The ijjad-dar or respected people played with gulal that could be bought at a very reasonable price at a neighbouring shop. But there where deviants in this group who would use water soluble industrial dyes which wouldn’t go off the skin for a month.

So on and so forth. We have played holi when gulal was the safe option. To the point now, when we started coming to know about all the pisonous industrial dyes they use in the gulals. And we had no choice in what the opposite person has in their small plastic thaila bag. What many people do, faced with such choices is often a clean quiet holi at home.

Diving Deep went in the opposite direction. I joined them yesterday for a Dhuleti event, in the gulf of Khambhat.
Walking the mudflats is half wading, a little bit helpless crawling, all in chocolate saucey clayey mud. Till we are all covered head to tow in a big clay pack. Once you have this extra skin, you are cool as a cucumber in the hot infant summer sun. All the experiences I had there need a lot more words, and for some I don’t have words.

And it comes back to words.I reached their event page because it was named Dhuleti, of which everyone has heard a lot of preamble.

The group included working nurses to a senior executive engineer at a machinery factory, body building fitness freak, doctors, a sweet kid in the ‘why so’ stage. When I see such a diverse bunch of people attracted to something, I know Diving Deep has touched a primal nerve point. I am sure they will further refine their experiences, all in all, very recommended.

So do I think there is benefit in rolling in dirt, on Holi? I have a few half baked ideas. What about you?

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