Holi - Pride Colors of North Karnataka

Another holi passed by day before yesterday. Nothing much to say abt it.

On Holi I received this SMS from Shivu reading: Videshdali iddare, desha maribeda Deshadali iddare rajya marayabeda Rajyadali iddare, jille marayabeda Jilleyali iddare, taluka marayabeda Taluka nalli iddare, Bagalkot Holi marey beda. HAPPY HOLI 

This msg from him took me in flashback, like how we play holi in north karnatka. Starting from childhood till I passed out my graduation from Bagalkot in 2002, I have wonderful memories of playing holi. In childhood, holi was restricted to our own street then as we grew - it went upto freinds house and then streets. On these days, only once in a year I had the priviledge of having breakfast without having taking bath, as my dad is particular about not having any food without bath. After breakfast we would be out  of house as early as 7.00 AM and go on playing till noon until we felt hungry. The moment we went home to fill stomach, we would be pulled away to bathroom for bath. Dad used to say, thats it for today! Only later, fresh clothes would be given and food would be served. After having food we were supposed to be only at home, with dad having vigil on us. There are instances when I have ran away after having bath on fresh clothes to play again only to return back to get a nice whacking  from dad :)

As I grew up we started accompanying bigger boys to steal wood or wooden items in and around neighbourhood, we were like chota spies to check who has kept wooden things in their compound. Based on this the hunt, we used to sneak that night to take it away. This chori would start atleast a week before till the midnight of holi beginning day. The colleceted logs of wood will be burnt as pyre for kamanna. This would be burnt exactly at 12 midnight and the whole neighbourhood would gather to see this and some families would mark their presence on their roofs. Only after this we would go to sleep.  The next day morning families would take a piece of buring log to burn Kadle on it - to be shared with everyone at home. I dont remeber why they did it.

As I grew, I stopped coming home for lunch during holi as mom used to secretly give me money to eat outside :) and the games of colors would continue till late evening. It so happened once that I came back home only at night - I am sure you would have guessed what happened to me later after reaching home!! 

The next couple of days after holi would be only about discussions with friends on how we played and who's hands and ears still had color. Whoever still had more color on his ears and fingers would keep on boasting about it for a week. I never got a chance to have colour stains on me as my dad used to rub off the colors from my body as if he was bathing a buffalo. This used to be holi fun atleast till we reached 7th std.

Once we reached highschool holi became a slight different game. Everything increased, from the quantity of colors and the extent we played was taken to next level. Some of our freinds would display their talents of beating halagi (small drum) in rythm, some used to bring their father's bikes and we would roam on bikes.. shouting " kamannana makkao, kalla s...e makallo"

As my dad was in government service he would get tranferred on every 3 or 4 years, this brought me the opportunity to play holi in many places like Muddebihal - Bijapur (the most till date), hubli, bhatkal, dharwad, belgaum(ajja's home) and my fav holi of bagalkot.

Bagalkot holi is the one which has kept me mesmerised till date. The first day I saw it I felt that -Bagalkot is a mecca of holi in north karnataka. Nobody plays like that. I played holi for 3 years there during my graduation days. It is played almost for a week (In many places of North Karnataka its played for a week; I dont think nobody have played like it is in Bagalkot). Apart from the usual colors and enjoying on holi this is an extenision of imagination. This is how it is played:

A group of friends will hire a tracktor or bullock cart for 3 days. The day starts as usual with group of friends from early morning till 11 AM or 12 PM. Post which the group will go their respective vehicles and load it with barrels, which in turn will be loaded with color waters. Later everyone boards their tractor or bullock cart. Atleast a minimum of 100 vehicles will be ready in the town and assebmle at two points - in the half on either side like 3 kms apart.  Then the procession starts on either side with both of them approaching each other. The whole town will assemble in these roads where this procession passes and ladies and family striclty on the rooftops. As the procession starts this color water will be thrown with mugs on the people standing on the streets. If anybody says something or objects for this, he is pulled out to the vehicle, dipped in the drum and then thrown back on the street :) Hence people rarely object - apart from some drunkards! The people on roofs will not be just watching you they will do the same thing what we are doing on street, throw color water on you and you cannot miss it. And girls, they would throw water bombs on us. If you had ever teased any girl in campus and you are passing in front of her house, she would gather her whole family on rooftop to target you with her water bombs. And sometimes eggs and tomatoes do fly from those girls and their bachcha gangs. After all girls deserve a chance to take revenge on boys, atleast once in a year on holi. I have seen some boys running away from being present in front of particular girl's house.  

As both the sides approach each other then the real fun starts. You are supposed to throw water on the people coming from other side and they will do the same to you. Hence, NO MERCY! There is a particular way you throw water, if you throw it in that way its gonna hurt the person badly, very badly, so you should be lucky if you can duck quick. Else, the pain is all yours!!! In this melee you will get a chance to meet people whom you secretly hate or your opposite college groups and also whom you ever had quarreled in campus. So you got a lucky chance to treat them with something special; a barrel of water with huge ice blocks is kept specially for them, which will be like a chilled water by noon! Ever felt the pain of chilled water??? Even when this all is hapenning nobody quarrels about being hit or anything. The only thing is you got to say is " ninno_na" and go forward and forget it. He too will forget it and soon we become friends!!

Irrespective of being a Hindu or a Muslim everyone plays holi together and everyone enjoys it. You will only see the smile of people's faces throughout the town, irrespective of they are in the vehicle or they are standing by or they are on their rooftops. EACH AND EVERY SOUL ENJOYS HOLI! 

The whole procession goes on till evening 4 or sometimes 5.30. This would be recorded by the local cable guy and telecast that night. And we used to ensure that when the telecast stars, we would slowly sneak away from home to freinds rooms to STUDY.

People from surrounding hubli-dharwad, bijapur belgaum would come to see the way holi is played in Bagalkot. In first year I was like a spectator on streets, and the next two years I was on the vehicle throwing color water! Those three years are like a golden holi moments which I will never ever forget in my life.  Year 2002 was the last time I played there, same year July I came to bangalore to purse my MBA and life just went on.

Today when I recollect how we used to play in those days, a smile appears on face automatically. The way  we stole woods, lighting the fire to "Kamanna" at midnight strike,  the way we left home early morning and play whole day. Like me our generation has done this atleast for 22 years of their life. Out of this I will keep the holi at Bagalkot - distinct. BAGALKOT HOIL IS SPECIAL FOR ME.

In 2002 Aug, half of the bagalkot town got submerged when people were asleep midnight. Major part of the city vanished or got waste in the stagnant water - thanks to backwaters of Krishna river of Almatti Dam. Hence, nowadays holi is not played like how we used to play. In other words, the color in holi is missing at Bagalkot. I was lucky to have seen the golden era of Holi there.

Today all of my fiends are in Bangalore, starting from  my KG freinds of Muddebihal to degree friends from Bagalkot. We all simply go to office, work for our deadlines - come home and rest on Holi. In fact holi in bangalore is nothing as we have seen at our places. That itself kills 90% of the zeal to play holi. No wonder, if kids of my generation in future become dumbstuck when we tell them how we played holi when we were of their age.

After my initial years at Bangalore, I had a wish to play holi in Bagalkot again with the same bunch of freinds! Slowly its fading like a color being washed again and again...... !!!

Every year as Holi approaches I keep telling my colleagues and my other friends about the wonderful holi we friends have played all our life - especially the Bagalkot Holi, the way I am told you now.

Happy holi!!

Your's

Raju Hiremath


Be a part of my FB page. Visit me on www.facebook.com/raju.hiremath7