Where did I look for inspiration in March?

Happy Holi

India flooded my senses — eyes dancing across patterns, ears catching market voices, nose drowning in spice aromas, touch embracing silk and stone, and my brain… going wild with joy in all that gold, ornament and glitter shimmering between dreams and reality.

Chaos that has the best structure ever? That’s my home. Goa smells of the sea and coconut, Agra echoes with marble stories, Pushkar throws colours into my eyes, Varanasi carries me into other dimensions, and at home I panic‑mix paints to catch at least a fragment of those feelings.

Am I painting India? Or is India painting me? Who would know…

Holi – when colours fly and the ego disappears

In March I wandered off to India — among other places, to Pushkar. Partly professional deformation (bright colours and those scenes give me a total buzz), partly because of my little Zoki who loves throwing colours and laughs at boxed‑in adult ideas that tell her “you’ll stain your dress”, “sit with your legs straight”, “don’t eat with your hands” (wtf?!? — I really don’t get that one ), “don’t mix those colours together” and “disinfect mandarins with baking soda”. So I went — to the Holi festival! And suddenly the world is prettier. Smiling people, hugging from dawn till dusk, drums and psy trance. And everyone wishes you “Happy Holi!” — because it’s a beautiful day and spring is coming.

What actually is Holi?

Holi is a festival of colours, love and the victory of good over evil. Indians celebrate it at the arrival of spring — in a way everyone should experience at least once. People dance in the streets, vivid pigments fly through the air, everyone becomes one big colourful chaos. Me too. You as well, if you were there.