***It's Holi !!! - Celebration of colors ***

Is that not what the past 2 holi's in Saathiya have been? Let us go down the memory lane...

Holi 2011... "I love you Ahemji"

The first ever holi for the newly married couples in Saathiya.. Holi brought great joy to Rashi and Jigar as they frolicked in colors and happiness of their newly found status. They enjoyed each other's company and applied color on each other happily. They were husband and wife and they showed it to the world.

The story was very different when it came to Ahem and Gopi. The first year of their marriage was a period of turmoil. Gopi and Ahem's relationship almost ended only to be resurrected by the arrival of Kokila Parag Modi's mother.

Naani as she is fondly called, was a free spirit and she lands on Modi Mansion intent to enjoy her relations and also see how well her Grandson was settling in his marriage. To convince her, Kokila takes a vow from her son to let her daughter in law Gopi stay in MM until Naani leaves. She asks Ahem to also make sure that Naani does not know the state of his marriage and Ahem who cannot say no to his mom agrees. This is how we find them on their first Holi.

We see that inspite of his promise, Ahem had no intention of regaling or taking pleasure in the festivities. He makes it blunt to his wife. He hates colors.

Ahem we then see has grown up with his mom's version and perception of things. Holi to Kokila Parag Modi was a festival of excess, wasting water, wasting time..and Ahem has a similar take on this festival. He hates the colors, the madness, the dance and party and the crowds. He is vocal about it too...Especially to Gopi. She is resgined to her fate.

However on Naani's insistence, the Modi's gear up for Holi 2011. Gopi is secretly happy. She is a Kanhaji Bhakt and she loves the colors that this festival brings. We see that, the innocent, simple soul that she is, all Gopi wants is to color her husband once. She cannot talk to him without him getting angry with her. She cannot see him to her hearts content but she hopes that on Holi, he would let it all go and let her show her love, via the colors.

The young orphan takes happiness in the colors that surround her on Holi. Gulaal, the red color of her Suhaag gives her the joy of marriage that she always dreamed of and even though it for just a day and Gopi dreams of coloring her husband on their first holi and dreams that he would also color her back, thus giving her the rights of his legally wedded wife. For a girl who had to take back the vows of her marriage, this is no small dream. With stars in her eyes, dreaming that her husband would have to look into her eyes and see the love she cannot vocalize, Gopi hopes for a miracle. She is shy and too frightened to tell her husband that she loves him, completely and without any expectations, but she can hope and Gopi hopes.

With dreams, this innocent child goes with colors to her room only to have her husband tell her that he hates colors and does not want to have anything to do with them. Like all her other dreams, Gopi's dream again shatters and she is left in tears but as a daughter in law, she does her duty and pretends that all is right in her world in front of Naani.

Kokila Modi is worried and she places all responsibility of Holi on her Gopi vahu, knowing that her dutiful Daughter in law would do the needed. Gopi does but her Maami and her wile cousin decide to have fun at her expense. With Urmila bringing Bhang to Holi, Gopi consumes talli and becomes intoxicated.

We watch as disaster mulls around. Bhang takes effect and Gopi sheds her inhibitions. She forgets that her family is around and her heart sings as she spots her husband standing a little way off, angry at the mess and at the dirt and the colors.

Wearing her heart on her sleeves, with her cousin and Maami watching her walk towards disaster, we see Gopi take Gulaal in her hands and walk towards her husband.

Ahem stands looking at the festivities with a sense of duty. He stands there for his mom and his naani. He cannot wait for all this to end and stands impatient, when he is surprised by two petite hands applying Gulaal on his face. He cannot see who would dare do such a thing.. Everyone in his family knows he hated colors. Angry at the impertinence of it all he pulls the culprit forward.

I wonder if Ahem ever would have imagined that he would see a day like this. It is his demure, frightened little wife who stands grinning in front of him. He sees red and his tirade starts only to stop immediately as his wife tells him to shush. I remember laughing as she starts talking.

Aww.. How can a man not be flattered? It is said that alcohol brings the truth out of people. We say the truth when we are intoxicated. Gopi tells Ahem that she loves him in her intoxication. One has to be made of stone not be flattered by that and Ahem is no stone. His wife though has more to say. She tells him just how handsome he looks and how much she loves him. She talks of how he looks when he smiles just this teeny weeny bit and asks him to smile more.. The whole world watches and the elders smile. Urmila and Rashi wait for Gopi to be blasted.

But that does not happen. Ahem takes Gopi away, angrily yes but not very angrily either. He is in turmoil. He cannot for his life be angry with this person in front of him who had just told him that she loves him unreservedly.

He had done so much to her. He had sent her out, shouted, pushed, slapped her but there she is telling him how she mcuh loved him. Can a man not be moved by such blind love? I think Ahem was. He takes Gopi away and lets her sleep off the effects of bhang as he stands and thinks back on what happened. But when Gopi comes out of the effects of Bhang, he declines to tell her if she did something wrong even as she apologizes. He leaves her puzzled and so are we, along with Gopi.

However, I do not think Ahem considered Gopi wrong. Somewhere that day he saw the true person behind his frightened wife. He saw Gopi for who she was. This was the first time he was shaken, shaken that maybe he was wrong in his perception of Gopi.. How could someone be so selfless in love and also be only behind his wealth? Maybe that is what made Ahem stop himself from blaming Gopi again... Whatever it was, the first Holi that started on an ominous note did end with a change in Gopi and Ahem's relationship.

Ahem had found that he could not be angry with Gopi for loving him. He also had found that she was in love with him, unconditionally.. Did it make him feel cocky? Proud? Sad? Happy? We don't know. But it did make him think and it did make him uncomfortable enough about his prejudice..

Holi brought a tide of change in Gopi and Ahem's relationship and it turned out to be one of the best days of Gopi's life though she would never remember it!

here lets have some music and dance

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=iZNTbobkg-I[/YOUTUBE]

some mouthwatering samosas

some colorful yummy yum deserts

Lets play Holi!!!

Holi 2012... "Ahem's love "

A year later.. In 2012..

Holi was again to be celebrated with much fun fare in MM.. Especially because of Gopi's near death and her miraculous recovery just month's before and also because Gopi loved Holi. Rashi and Jigar had reconciled. All faults were forgiven and forgotten and Holi brought joy across for everyone in MM.

But there was one person who was sad days before Holi. It was Gopi. She had over the course of her recovery realized that her husband, now a much changed person, respected her and was duty bound to her but did not love her.

So she stands therem at the Mandir, praying to her Kanhaji to give her strength to celebrate Holi without causing her husband more distress. She reminiscenes the last Holi and decides that she would not give her husband any more pain. She would curb her instincts and wishes and not want him to play Holi with her. He hated colors, she knew. So she decides to stay away from them, for him and for her Maaji who had been totally distressed by the house that was ruined by colors the previous Holi.

Having decided her course of action, we see Gopi walk away without realizing that her real life Kanhaji had listened to every one of her words.

Ahem stands there, back from his morning work out. He hears his wife berate herself for her mistakes the previous Holi.. Her 'mistakes'. Ahem realizes that he is one of the reasons she thinks that way. He is left wondering if she considers her confession of love also as a 'mistake'.

But this time he determines that it would all be different. He wants Gopi to have fun and joy on Holi.. Unknown even to him, Ahem has fallen in love with his wife ,her innocence and her love. He wants her to have the happiness she gives everyone else and her heartbreaking prayer not to enjoy Holi gets to him and twists his heart.

On Holi, Ahem is ready to surprise his Gopi. He would color her and make her wishes come true.. He is all smiles as his brother applies color on his face. Being the shy introvert person that he is, Ahem just cannot bring himself to let his wife know that he would not mind her coloring him and wants to color her himself.

At every step on the way, Ahem stays with Gopi.. But festivals are festivals and Ahem has to greet guests as is true with Gopi who has to take care of the festivities and guests herself. But as she colors every one who comes there and as Ahem gets colored by his friends, both Gopi and Ahem seek each other wishing it was each other they were greeting and applying color on.

Ahem falls victim to Urmila's Bhang ladooes this time and eats the ladoos that were intended for Gopi. Like Gopi the previous year, Ahem loses his inhibitions as the day wears on.

We then see the uninhibited Ahem who lets go off his restraint.. Ahem dances.. He sees his wife standing there looking at him with love and dances more to everyone's delight. He then seeks her out. He has this immense urge to tell her something but cannot remember what he wants to tell her. Holding her hand, posing for pictures, Ahem makes Gopi delirious with happy on Holi.

Then he tells her that he wants to go home with her. He keeps repeating that he wants to tell her something very important. Gopi, not understanding that her husband is intoxicated stays with him and makes him eat.. Just as they decide to go back outside, Ahem realizes what he wants. He wants Gopi, his wife, her happiness and her love.

Taking his wife by hand, he goes to the temple.. As she stands facing him, Ahem looks at Gopi and loses his heart to her all over again. He wants to give her the world and all she wanted was for him to color her. As she shyly keeps placing the pallu on her head, Ahem stops her again and again and finally holds her hand before applying the gulaal on her cheeks to her immense happiness.

Tears of joy sparkle in her eyes as she wishes her happy Holi. Spell bound Gopi remains staring at her husband who even in his intoxicated state cannot but admire his wife. He then makes his wish known.. He wants her to color him. And she does.. Her heart in her eyes as she finds that dreams do come true.

That is not all. Ahem cannot have enough of Gopi. After all he loves her and with no restraints holding him back, with no doubts about what he wants, he sees it clearly that he wants her.. completely and totally. As the family enjoys Raas Leela in the garden, Ahem and Gopi find their own Raas leela in the midst of colors and love.

An accidental fall, a look, passion and love all come together on Holi, the day of new beginnings as Ahem shows Gopi how much she means to him and she lets him take her to the world she only dreamed of and thought was impossible to ever feel. They become one and unknown to them, their love gets a new meaning that day.. Something they would know only 3 months later as Gopi falls pregnant.

Gopi and Ahem show each other how much in love they are and the Holi becomes a day they would never forget ever in their lives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

credit for siggie - Deepikzz, Thank you Deepika for a gorgeous siggie !!!

Holi always brought joy and then after that a big turning point in Gopi and Ahem's life. What started out as a confession by Gopi later went on to become a confession by Ahem. This Holi is extra special as Ahem and Gopi now have their Meera with them, the child conceived exactly one year before on Holi.

What will this Holi bring to those in MM? New changes, new joy, new hope and a change for the better? Will this Holi be the last of the evils and the start of better things for the Modis?

Will Meera enjoy her first Holi and will Ahem and Gopi look back to the day they became one, body and soul and relive the experience? What will this Holi bring?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~