3/14/25 Happy Holi!!
We took our time getting out and about but finally arrived at The Moxy Hotel by mid-afternoon. Everywhere we looked on our drive, the streets were vibrant and bustling with joyous people covered in colors. Upon arrival, we could hear music pumping from the street behind the hotel, but the party we had signed up for was a couple kilometers away. We dropped our bags and ordered another Uber. Going back home will be a shock to my system; I could get used to these $1.50 Uber rides.
Entering the festival grounds so late in the day was a bit like showing up to a frat party at 2am. Everyone was already drenched in a mix of powder colors and water from hoses that had been strayed to help with the extreme heat of the day. The belligerence level was high and the music kept cutting out while the DJs encouraged drunks off the stage. Nevertheless, we pushed our way up towards the front and found a little respite from the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd in the shaded VIP section.
By now, we are used to sticking out like a sore thumb, but the addition of our completely clean clothes and lack of any color drew even more attention. A group of friends next to us took interest and showed us how it worked instructing us to close our eyes and wiping the first colors into our faces. The awkward hesitation and natural barrier between strangers was quickly evaporated and they took us in like old friends. Colors were thrown over our heads and everyone danced. I found myself both fully immersed and dancing however the music took me and mesmerized by the different movement styles of those around me. Christ was fashionably cautious about his neck and used his amazing eye to transform the feeling of the festival into pictures for us to laugh and reminisce over later.
Pure joy emanated from every individual there and engulfed my being in the warmest hug. Good energy, music, and dancing would have been enough, but the day was not done providing.
After a lap around the festival and up to the front of the stage, Christ was pulled towards a shady spot at the back of the grounds. My attention was immediately captivated by a group of gregarious friends dancing with such rhythm and diversity of movement, I was paralyzed. When my trance was broken by one of them playfully spraying me with a water gun, I couldn’t help but try to emulate their movement. I could have been there for 1 minute or 30; time did not seem to exist as the elation of dance and friendship without the need for verbal communication swallowed me whole.
I finally turned to find Christ in a full bromance conversation with someone who had asked for a photo with him. Ayush had just moved back to Mumbai after 17 years in Australia and opened up to us like long lost friends. His pure heart and good intentions were abundantly clear from the beginning and we were as happy to connect with a local and make a new friend as he was. Christ was getting close to his limit so we decided to part ways to rest and reconnect later that night.
The task of getting a ride back to the hotel proved much harder than expected (though I probably should have anticipated it knowing how festivals and crowds work….) We ran into Ayush out front attempting to do the same and eventually he convinced a 3-wheeled “Auto Cab” to take us home. We strolled back into the hip, 5-star Moxy covered in colors and beaming from ear to ear.
When more scrubbing seemed futile and my fragile skin begged for a break, we made our way down to the restaurant. I attempted to try just about every Indian dish at the buffet, stuffing myself beyond comfort but not regretting a single bite. Everyone took great care of us, but Ashok made the experience above and beyond. He not only described the different dishes on our plates and provided information about the hotel, he explained common Holi traditions and illuminated his favorite memories from childhood. His openness to share, educate, and discuss a wide variety of topics made us feel welcome and better informed.
Ayush met us on the rooftop for a calm evening of relaxation and great conversation. Though Christ made an early exit for bed, we continued the night enjoying the perfect evening temperature and irregularly clear skies. Ashok had mentioned the pollution was improved because of the day off from work and construction across the entire city. I had taken notice of the seemingly easier breaths I was taking more than a few times that day, but I didn’t grasp the depth of difference one day could make until I stood on that rooftop and observed not just the layers of buildings trickling off into the horizon but the clear outline of the mountains off in the distance. Each morning in the hospital it felt like the visibility was getting worse and we could only see buildings in our immediate vicinity, but tonight I could see every light on every building and the mountain range called out to me. Knowing we would be out that way the next day brought a sense of calm I have been missing since leaving my green (even in winter compared to here…), luscious state of Kentucky.
