Today, India and Indian communities around the world are celebrating Holi – the festival of colors. However, there is a one big difference in the celebrations – the presence or absence of the colors depending upon where you live.
If you live in India, we all know, you can go crazy with the colors if you want to. Dry colors, wet colors, sticky colors, shiny colors, or just plain water if you run out of the colors – everything is a fair game. Friends, foes, families, strangers – everybody is a fair target, well, most of the time. No one minds, or to be politically correct, no one is supposed to mind, if their all dressy outdoor wear is smudged with colors. No one is supposed to hold a grudge if their best dress is messed up from the Holi colors. Why? Because it is Holi, the festival of colors – no other explanation is needed. A rainbow of colors is the expected scene everywhere.
However, in overseas, the scene is quite the opposite; or should we say, quite normal like any other day. You can celebrate the festival within the walls of your own home, or in your own backyard, or with some desi friends if you are lucky to find those who understand the Holi spirits. That’s about it. Your choices are limited. Even within Indian circles, no one bothers to celebrate Holi! At leats not like we used to in India. The Westernized Indian kids may want to enjoy it, from a distance, as long as the colors don’t touch them. Why would you want to look ridiculous in the middle of the day! Read the rest of this entry »
! We may be exaggerating a bit when we say that smoking and drug use is much more common in the Western countries. If you walk down the street of any major US city, you won’t find many smokers in public, just as an example. People are more health conscious now-a-days. The drug use is probably comparable to India. You are not going to find ganja smoking hippies (as shown in some Indian movies) on a corner of every American or European city streets. That was 70s, and the movie was ‘Purab or Paschim’! 
