episode 118

Happy Holi 2023!

All About The Festival of Colours with Rai Mukhopadhyay

Introduction

Happy Holi 2023, everyone! Do you know what Holi is? I've wanted to know more about this colorful (literally!) celebration for years now. And this year, I finally learned!!

For all of us in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re approaching spring and what a welcome spring it will be. To kick off the springtime celebrations, we have Rai, a resident of West Bengal in India, to tell us all about the North Indian holiday of Holi (that’s H-O-L-I), otherwise known as the Festival of Colors.

Actually, it’s known as many things, and we’ll be hearing all about that today.

Rai details all the fun she had spraying colors on her friends - and possibly lobbing the occasional water balloon at passerbys (not Rai, of course) - on Holi.

As the National Spelling Bee Champion in all of India in 2019, Rai is a hugely knowledgeable guest, and she teaches me so, SO much about the religious and cultural aspects of Holi, including several stories of Vishnu and Krisha, and the breadth of ways these stories are interpreted and celebrated across Northern India.

Finally, we talk about Malpuas, a pancake-like treat with soft middles and crispy edges and notes of fennel, then covered with a saffron-soaked syrup. All in all, this is a fun, festive, fascinating episode and I’m just so grateful to Rai for sharing with us and to you for being here!

Highlights

A typical Holi from morning to night
The religious, cultural, and seasonal aspects of Holi
4 names: The Festival of Triumph of Good Over Evil, the Festival of Love, the Festival of Spring
Three Hindu stories that underly Holi - Lord Vishnu, Krishna
Rai’s state of West Bengal
The breadth of beliefs across Hinduism about the historicity of Hindu scriptures and the idols and temples in the home
Why some states in India burn bonfires the night before Holi
Fluffy, crispy malpuas - the techniques to create the perfect middle and edges
Creating a sweet sugary syrup

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How To Contact Rai

Instagram: @browniesandwhims

This Episode's Storied Recipe

Recipe Shared by Rai Mukhopadhyay

Fluffy, Crispy Malpua Recipe

These light fluffy Malpua are lightly flavored with fennel and fried in oil until the edges are crispy and golden. They are then covered in a cardamom & saffron flavored syrup and garnished with pistachios and almonds.