Holi hai!

The excitement of Holi is all around. The festival of colours is never complete without one's family and friends, there are some more must-haves to make the most out of it. While many of us shop for good quality colours, finger food and colours, there's a need to be ready in terms of self-care suggests .

For women who are planning to kick off the bash, here's a quick list for you to check out.

Checklist before stepping out:

Waterproof sunscreen

Carry a sunscreen which has at least 30 SPF.  Apply it generously and make sure to reapply after every 2 hours. This way, you won't have to worry about those sunburn and suntan patches.

Sanitary hygiene

Gauri Sighal, Founder of FLOH suggests tampons if you are worried about being on your period during Holi. While lost in the fun, these little things will make you forget many things.  You will not have to worry about leaks, even if you swim.

Organic Coconut Oil

Give your body an oil shield as it can’t be protected by the fabric alone. Message it in layers on the parts that doesn't get covered with clothing. Consider applying it an hour before you go out to play.

Sunglasses

When playing Holi, it's very important to protect your eyes from the colour and water, which often contain unwanted chemicals. While covering the most sensitive part of your face, it will keep you from
getting bothered by harsh sunlight and scorching heat.

Phone case

Do not forget to keep your cell phone in a waterproof cover. As your phone will be exposed to a lot of water and dust, look for a cover that is airtight and has some good depth.

Wear cotton

Choose to wear some breathable and comfortable clothes that are made of cotton. Avoid tight and synthetic clothes to prevent rashes. Look for white or your
favourite bright colors to look party ready.

Celeb trends:

Shabana Azmi: “As usual there is open house at Janki Kutir. Celebrating holi, diwali, eid and Xmas was a tradition started by Abba, which Baba Tanve Javed and I follow to this day. Since this is the year of Kaifi’s Centenary celebrations we are particularly looking forward to it. It’s always a motley crowd, since it’s a joint celebration with our closest friend Bijon Dasgupta. What I love most is that three generations have been coming together for years and I feel quite misty eyed about it!

Swara Bhaskar:  “I'm celebrating Holi with my family in Delhi and my message is that I hope everyone has a happy and safe Holi. Please play Holi in a decent manner remember that 'bura na maano Holi hai' shouldn't become an excuse to eve tease and harass or molest women or anyone.”

Ali Fazal: “I am travelling outside the country for work. So am missing Holi this time. We’ve all very consistently and diligently contributed to the massacre of our climate over the last few decades if not years, so I’d like to just say- sorry, folks we can’t play Holi like it used to be when we was kids.”

Tapsee Pannu: “I am home in Delhi celebrating Holi with family. For me these festivals become a reason for family get together. Will celebrate it with basic colours n have delicious meal at home. With years our environment and surroundings have changed and so should our ways of celebrating our festivals because these are meant to spread happiness n no harm. It’s need of the hour to realize that wasting water on Holi is probably not the best way to celebrate it. Maybe not us, but our future generations are definitely gonna get affected by it.”

Mahesh Babu:  “Holi isn’t that big a festival here in Hyderabad. Kids have a holiday so quality time spent at home with the family!!  Have a fun-filled and safe Holi...We normally have a small get-together with the kids friends at home.”

Asha Parekh: “Cinema has played a big part in romanticising and glorifying the  Holi festival. I’ve shot quite a few Holi sequence  including the very popular Aaj na chorenge in the film Kati Patang. It may look very colourful and a lot of fun from your seat in the movie theatre. But in real life Holi and those  colours are very messy.  My advice to people is not to believe in the  illusion created by Holi sequences  in  films.Play only  with organic  colours don’t  waste water and make  it a safe Holi for  everyone specially women.”

Richa Chadha: “My holi plan is to spend time with my gal pals since Ali (boyfriend Ali Zafar) is out of town. We will go out to some parties, have bhang and basically just chill.”

Recipe of the season

Kesari Phirni

Ingredients:

Item                                               Quantity
Rice                                                75 gms
Milk                                                 300 ml
Caster sugar                                   30 gm
Saffron                                            A few strands
Powdered green cardamom           A pinch
Rose water                                      A few drops
Slivered almonds and pistachios     To garnish
Silver foil and rose petals                To garnish

METHOD

Soak the saffron strands in a tsp of warm milk.

Soak the rice in water for about one hour.

Drain the water and grind it to a paste. Should not be too coarse.

In a heavy bottomed pan, combine the milk, sugar and the rice paste together and boil. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until the mixture is creamy and thick and coats the back of a spoon.

Add the saffron and cardamom and mix well. Remove from heat.

Add the rose water and mix well.

Refrigerate for around 2 hrs until chilled and set.

Garnish with slivered nuts, silver foil, rose petals and serve.