Holi Fellowship Passes With Flying Colors and Flowers!

Like always, the Holi Fellowship hosted every year by Rtn. Naresh Kumar Jain, at his bungalow in Khar, delivered all that it promised… and then some! Rtn. Jain and his family have been graciously organizing this much-looked-forwardto Holi extravaganza for thirty years now, inviting all Rotarians who show up in great numbers to partake of all the fun and festivities. What made this splendid event, celebrating the Festival of Colors, even more unique, was that it was played with fresh flowers and very little color, thereby respecting the promise to preserve water, thereby adding that special Rotarian touch of sensitivity. However the lack of water was very well compensated for not just by flowers but also with the use of foam! And there was also a special Foam Dance that was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

In addition there was also live DJ music playing Hindi and regional songs dedicated to Holi, taking the excitement notch even higher! However in keeping with Rotarian love for good food, the ‘pièce de résistance’ would definitely have to be the speciality chaat, for which a Master- Chaat-Chef was especially brought down from Delhi just to ensure that all the guests got to taste the authentic taste of the delectable ‘Delhi Chaat’!

Twenty different varieties of delicious Chaat were up on offer, along with his speciality and the main Holi beverage, ‘Thandai’. Rtn. Naresh Jain explains “We are basically from Delhi and Holi is celebrated with great pomp in the North as it is one of the most celebrated occasions. This tradition of playing Holi with flowers instead of water and color was actually started by my great great grandfather, and it stuck on with me!”

When the Rotarians were not indulging in the amazing food, they were dancing away to the lively music! The party started at 10:00 am in the morning on the 24th of March, 2014 and went on beyond 2:00pm, with over eighty Rotarians showing up to indulge in a colorful time with flowers, amid a special shamiana made and decorated beautifully with saris and scarves, to provide the old-time ‘mela’ feel. Definitely the best way yet to spread Holi cheer and colour!