Vimal felt bad. His friends were celebrating Holi without him. He watched his friends playing Holi on the lawn.
“How mean! They didn’t even ask me how I am!” he thought.
He was just recovering from a fever. Last year, he and his friends had had such a wild time. This time around, it looked as if they didn’t miss him at all.
“Did anyone come by, Amma?” asked Vimal.
“How would I know? I was out while you slept. Ask Thatha,” replied his mother.
But, Thatha was having his siesta, and Vimal did not want to disturb him. “Would you like to go and join your friends?” asked his mother.
Vimal said he would rather watch TV, but his heart wasn’t in it. The loud, boisterous sounds from downstairs filled the air, and Vimal was reminded of the good time his friends were having. He did so want to join them, yet, did not want to as he felt neglected.
A plan unfolds
The more Vimal thought about it, the more miserable and bitter he felt. He wanted to wake up Thatha and talk to him about this.
A few days ago, Thatha had taught him how to deal with anger. “Suppressing anger only causes more harm. It is always better to channel your anger creatively and positively.”
Vimal pondered over Thatha’s advice and knew that instead of brooding, he could still turn the situation around in his favour and have some fun. Then an idea struck him. Even though he didn’t have colours to play Holi, he knew he could make some at home, thanks to a workshop conducted in his school. Vimal dashed into the kitchen and made eco-friendly colours with beetroot, turmeric, gram flour, henna and fuller’s earth. In
When the children sprayed colours on one another with their pichkaris, Vimal took a mugful of his eco-friendly colours and began splashing them from above. The children were caught off-guard. They looked up, puzzled, and saw Vimal there with a victorious smile on his face.
The children let out a whoop of joy when they saw their friend; they waved and asked him to join them. Soon, his friends were banging on his door. The moment he opened the door, colours were applied on him and he was inundated with queries and concerns.
“We rang your door bell,” said one of them.
“We knocked at the door, but your Thatha said that you were sleeping,” said another.
“You were recovering from fever and so we didn’t want to disturb you. We missed you,” said the others.
Vimal knew his Thatha usually kept the doorbell switched off at times because the shrill noise got on his nerves.
He realised that his friends were concerned about him and it was mean of him to have misunderstood them so easily. He beamed at them happily and went out to play.