KARACHI: As the National Students Federation (NSF) formed a human chain outside the Shree Swami Narayan Temple, the Hindu community along with many Muslim friends on Wednesday celebrated the festival of colour and spring, Holi, inside.

“Our fellow Hindu, Christian and other such communities living in Pakistan face extreme injustice. They face issues such as forced marriages, forced conversions, low employment rate and low citizenship registration. They must not be referred to as minority communities, because it limits their scope of inclusion and rights,” said NSF organiser Mohammad Afzal.

“So we are here to promote the message of peace and interfaith harmony,” said NSF member Ali Zaib.

In the ground behind the temple and gurdwara, several Muslims were celebrating Holi with their Hindu friends. “I was in India last Holi and I had so much fun celebrating this festival there that I want to be a part of it every year. That is why I came here to celebrate this time,” said feminist and political activist Anis Haroon with green and purple colour on her cheeks.

Another lady accompanying her and sporting a pretty bindya on her forehead had more sticky bindya to offer to whoever wasn’t wearing one. She offered one to an elderly woman Savitiri in a plain dark blue sari, who politely turned her down. “I come here to watch others celebrate Holi each year but I haven’t participated myself since I lost my young son a few years ago,” she shared. “But wait,” she said before dragging a young woman in a pretty pink sari along with two little girls, “This is my other son Vinod’s wife, my daughter-in-law Chandra, and here are my granddaughters. You may play Holi with them,” she smiled giving the others a nudge forward.

In contrast to Savitiri, there was the much older and much gleeful Kaushaliya with her bags full of colour and along with a water gun. She chased everyone, even the screaming children and wouldn’t release them from her grip till they resembled a rainbow.

This year, besides the red, burgundy, purple, green, blue and yellow, there was also a new colour that was much in demand and everyone wanted it on their faces — silver. “It comes off easily too,” said a teenager offering to colour someone’s nose silver.

Near the gates, stood Vimla in a very pretty green and gold sari. She was holding just one bag of red colour or gulal, as it is known, close to her chest and looking around for someone. Asked who she was looking for, she shyly shook her head, and turned her gaze down, refusing to tell. Some unsuspecting soul was going to get a big surprise the moment he or she would enter the place. But then, like all mischievous people, who get excused for drenching you or putting colour on you, Vimla, too, would justify her actions with the simple words: “Holi hai!”

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2016