Mumbai, March 14 (IANS) Actor Vineet Kumar Singh recalls he once accidentally had “thandai with bhang” in Benares, which he said was one of his “craziest Holi”.
“My craziest Holi was one that I played in Benaras. And the city is known for its thandai. This one time, I consumed thandai that had bhang in it, and I had no idea about it. People served it to me. And the Holi that I have played after that was on another level.”
He said the celebrations went on for the entire day.
“I was super hungry, eating a lot, and we just kept playing Holi, not stopping even as evening came. We didn’t even think of taking a bath, just kept playing with colors. Our whole group played Holi like that, and honestly, I don’t remember anything from that day. Later, people told me what all I did on Holi. That was the craziest Holi!”
The actor said that his favourite food, especially on Holi “is Dal Puri, Sadi Puri, Pumpkin Sabzi and Kheer. And on Holi, homemade Gujiya and chips are a must.”
“On the day of Holi, we used to sit at home and make gujiya with our mother, me and all of my brothers. We would also make chips from scratch at home, cut the chips, boil them, and dry them. We also used to make papad, mathri, sevda, which is a namkeen.”
“We used to make different types of namkeen dishes. These are also my fondest memories of Holi, spending time with my brothers and sisters, making Holi more memorable.”
How does he prepare himself for playing Holi?
“My preparations for Holi include taking a shower and applying a generous mount of coconut oil on the hair, face and body before stepping out of the house,” he revealed.
Talking about Holika Dahan, which is celebrated on the night before Holi, symbolizing the victory of good over evil.
It is celebrated by lighting a bonfire, representing the burning of the demoness Holika, who was destroyed by divine intervention while trying to harm Prahlad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu.
Vineet shared that his entire family would apply “sarson (mustard) ka ubtan” on their bodies.
“Once that dried out, we would rub it, collect the remnants, and that was put into the Holika Dahan. This has been a ritual in our family since even my childhood. In fact, whenever I am in Benaras during Holi, this is something I wholeheartedly indulge in,” he shared.
“Another tradition we have in the family is passing down the Prahalad, Hiranyakashyap and Holika story to the kids in the house. My father and the other elders of the house would narrate those to me and my brothers, and now we pass it on to the next generation of kids in our house.”
“We teach them why Holika Dahan is celebrated and how truth and devotion always triumphs over evil.”
–IANS
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