Campus-wali Holi often holds a special space for hostellers and college students. Celebs who have graduated from colleges in Delhi share that Holi on campus was behadh khaas for them. From having bhang with seniors to bringing extra boxes of gujias from home, they spill the beans on how they would celebrate the festival of colours during their college days.
I would ride bikes around the campus on Holi: Sourabh Raaj Jain
Sourabh Raaj Jain, who graduated from a private university in Delhi, says, “By the end of the second year, I had gone to Mumbai to shoot for Remix, so the only memory of Holi I have of my college is being drenched in colourful water and riding bikes around the campus, splashing colours on mates and even seniors as nobody would recognise us.”
Holi was about dancing on Bollywood songs after college: Aditi Sharma
For Aditi Sharma, alumna of Sri Venkateswara College, Holi was about celebrating the festival with hostellers. “I used to stay in my hostel and had many friends who were hostellers. Before leaving for Holi break, we would meet after college and hum Bollywood ke gaane bajake dance karte thay, paani se khelte thay. Balloons ek dusre ko marte thay aur outsiders ko bhi, which was a very bad thing, and then we would leave for Holi break and come back with Holi ki mithai. Mere ghar se gujiya aati thi aur uss dabbe mein itna attack hota tha. I would tell my mother to pack two boxes because ek toh sab kha hi jaate thay. Utna swaad Holi ki mithai ka ab aata hi nahi hai,” she fondly remembers.
Nat jaise rassi mein chalta hai, main waise road ke divider pe chal raha tha bhang peeke: Raj Shekhar
Raj Shekhar, an alumnus of Kirori Mal College, shares, “It was my first Holi in DU, away from home. Usse pehle mujhe kuch pata nahi tha bhang kya hoti hai, aur uss samay hostel mein ek ritual hota tha ki mess ke bahar thandai banti thi aur usme kuch log bhang mila dete thay. Maine five-six glass pi liya tha, aur bhang chadh gayi thi. Main divider ke upar aise chal raha tha jaise nat rassi pe chalte hain, kisi ne mujhe balloon mara toh main apne friends se keh raha tha, ‘Yes, I am the chosen one’. That was the first and last time I had bhang in my life; uske baad meri aaj tak himmat nahi hui.”
We played Holi in college with gobar and mitti: Rajesh Kumar
Hindu College alumnus Rajesh Kumar tells us how Holi in college was not all about colours. “A huge tank would be filled with gobar and mitti. Then one by one, we would be thrown into it. We would prepare and freeze bhang the night before Holi and consume the melted bhang with ice on the day of Holi. Once, I lost track of time and got up after 26 hours, all thanks to bhang,” he says.
Holi in JMC was very elegant and classy: Prachi Tehlan
Alumna of Jesus and Mary College (JMC) Prachi Tehlan shares that Holi in JMC wasn’t messy at all. “Holi in JMC was very elegant and classy. We would celebrate the festival with organic colours. Teachers ko bhi tilak lagate thay. For us, it was more about spending time together and enjoying the moment,” she tells us.
