JC in India

“Happy Holi!” – A shout that is echoing out across the country today, as strangers throw powdered paint on each other, along with the occasional dousing of water too.

Holi (also known as the Festival of Colours) is one of the key annual festivals in India each year. Traditionally it marks the start of spring, and is described as an occasion to shed off past errors, end conflicts, and start anew. The origins are rooted in Hindu tradition, and has spread across the world being well recognized globally by many of the South Asian diaspora.

The celebrations generally run over two days. The first evening being where people gather in front of bonfires in alliance with the original tradition of evil being killed off by fire, and then starting anew the next day with the colourful side of the festival. Anyone is fair game for the paint throwing and water dousing, and it’s a boisterous celebration where friends and enemies alike are known to come together to put any troubles aside and enjoy the spirit of the occasion. And lash powdered paint over each other!!

Ironically the main streets were quiet today when I ventured out, with people clustered in the residential enclaves mostly. It meant some locals could get around more easily though…

I meandered around the local streets and encountered a number of groups, with shouts of “Happy Holi” all over, and then the subsequent daub of paint being applied. I followed the noise at one point, and spent a few minutes in “fun and frolics” – not sure of a better way to describe it – with a group of locals from one of the close by slums. As I’ve said before poverty doesn’t necessarily translate to unfriendliness, and they were a cracking bunch of lads. Lots of photos and ‘where are you from’ questions. Not sure anyone of my skin tone had joined their celebrations before, and all was good natured!

Even the dogs were getting in on the action…

It’s easy to walk around Vasant Vihar like this. It’s the area I live, and is a relatively small residential area in South Delhi about 10km from the airport and roughly similar distance to the centre of Delhi also.

Apparently it was originally developed in the 1960’s by retired Government of India officers, who wanted a nicer area to settle. It’s since evolved into a more upmarket residential area and houses a large number of embassies of smaller nations, hence is home to a small number of Expats. Although surprisingly few in reality, as most of the “Delhi Expats” are employed by the larger multinational companies and these are mostly based out of Gurgaon (also known as Gurugram) which is a much more modernized town about 20 miles to the South West of New Delhi’s centre. This tendency towards Gurgaon for ‘Westerners’ does mean that the number of Expats in my locale remains relatively few.

But for me that’s part of the attraction. I’ve come to India to live in India. And Vasant Vihar, despite being more affluent than most other places is still India, with its street markets and neighbouring slums. I’m committed to at least my first year here living in this area, and then will decide whether to change the scene. But for now it’s a great way to experience Indian living, with a degree of comfort to help support the experience.

The area is split into blocks A – F, with each block having its own market which generally have the basics of a bank, local food shop, and a variety of other weird and wonderful options. There’s also plenty of street vendors dotted around the area selling everything from what can only be described as ‘tat’, to all sorts of fruit and veg stalls, through to flowers, and of course the necessary barber shop!

Plus, there is a whole host of street food options (although these are best left to the locals…).

Hidden within the D block market, which is my local one and is literally 50 meters from my front door, are actually a couple of bar/restaurants.

The Pint Room is a great little outdoor second floor terrace which actually seems to be a bit of a magnet for the few expats that are here. #Newlocal!

Then there is PCO – Pass Code Only – which requires a pass code to be keyed into a phone booth to gain entry, with the code being only known to a certain few to ensure it retains a degree of exclusivity.

Well, that’s the theory anyway. In practice the one time I’ve been there a guard seemed to be hiding round the corner and came and told us the code as we walked up to the door. So it’s more a marketing gimmick, but a great little spot once inside – very Great Gatsby in terms of music and décor. Not what you’d expect in India!

But that’s the underlying theme of this country. On the outside you often don’t see what’s behind the scenes unless you really explore. The Pint Room has a shady looking entrance with some unappealing steps to climb into the unknown to get there. Yet, having braved those steps I can instantly say it’s my favourite place to go for a drink around here.

And for PCO I’d read about the place and it took me a few weeks to find the entrance, even though it’s a small market block. And that’s not an exaggeration.

The thing with India is you’ve got to dig beneath the surface to find out what’s really here. As you get more immersed, the real India starts to shine through.

It’s true colours emerge. And they are often very vibrant.

Happy Holi!