Having finished their final exams, and therefore the academic year, every child in the school assembled in the courtyard. Gathered around plates of colour, they waited in anticipation of Ratodsir's whistle which would signify the start of the paint fight. The whistle was blown and the volume rose, as children raced around, weaving in and out, chasing each other, throwing paint and smearing colour on every available breathing surface.
Whilst most of the other teachers refrained from participating, there was no chance that I was going to sit on the sidelines; I became swept up in the colour free-for-all. Of course, the novelty of being permitted to throw paint at a teacher meant that, of everyone, Katie and I ended up the most plastered in powder. By the end we were covered head-to-toe in a rainbow of coloured pigments.
Undoubtedly, India's most colourful festival has become one of my favourites.
