OK, so my blog updates have not been as thick and fast as I anticipated. I have struggled over the past couple of weeks to find time to type! However, the following post is an account of my last day in India on which I celebrated Holi in Ahmedabad. I have just had an awesome day playing Holi and feel the need to share my thoughts with you.
Holi is a great Indian festival where people throw coloured powders and water on one another to celebrate unity and love amongst everyone. I first went to Abhay Ghat near the Gandhi Ashram where I met up with a lot of the friends I had made over the past two months. We had an amazing time in the small village area at the back of Abhay Ghat playing games with the locals.
From Abhay Ghat I went with some friends to a coffee shop where we had some very tasty, cold coffee and sandwiches. This is when I bid farewell to my friend, Anoop.
I then headed over to Virenbhai’s house with Dharmesh. Virenbhai is involved with Manav Sadhna, one of the NGOs I spent my time with. There, I was greeted…no…actually I was gripped and held down in a puddle of water! I wasn’t pleased but I soon saw the funny side! Soon after I was drenched with buckets of water from the top of the house and covered in colour! It was great fun playing with the people I had met on my journey! We had some chai and dealt with a few guys who looked too clean to say they had been playing Holi! Celebrating Holi in India was an amazing experience and one I will surely cherish for years to come.
I then headed back to shower and wash up, after which I went over to Law Garden with Dharmesh. Law Garden is a big park where lots of people go for morning walks and where we had played Ultimate Frisbee, twice a week, for the past few weeks. Just outside the park there is an area which comes alive at night, almost with a carnival-like atmosphere, all lit up with people selling great food!
I planned to meet some of the people I had met during my time in India and with whom I had played Holi with earlier in the day. A lot of people turned up; Lakshmi, Terry, Sarin, Samit, Jaidip, Rahul, Raksha, Bijal, Amit (aka Twin), Kirstin, Nattie, Lilly, Sandeep, Jignesh, Dharmesh, Meera, Hesus, Anjali and Arprit just to name a few! Making connections with all of these individuals has helped to make my experience a very memorable one. I was asked to give a speech and this gave me the chance to let everybody know that the work they are all involved in is absolutely inspirational!
The food took a long time to come so we didn’t really eat that much. Eventually we had to leave Law Garden and head to the airport with Dharmesh and Jaidip. I reached Ahmedabad airport and finally checked in for my Jet Lite flight to Mumbai. I’ll end this post whilst sat on the plane. I have a 5 hour wait before checking in for my flight with Oman Air!
It has been fantastic to get involved with some of the initiatives in Ahmedabad! To all of the people I met on my journey; I hope your great work continues and reaches across the world! Please keep in touch! Thank you!