Eightfold celebrations of Holi, the festival of "color"

There was something special this time in the name of Holi. I played it (infinitesimally although) after three years, that too because some of my friends in the hostel put colors on my face when I came out of my room to have some tea. I used to enjoy this festival a lot when I was at home till my class X th. I used to go with my friends to various neighboring places in bicycles, specially to those places where the girls of our classes live. It was funny in the sense that the boys in our class hardly had any interactions with the girls, but still we dared to go to their villages in search of them just to play Holi, but never succeeded in doing so. After I came out of my home Holi became like an alien festival for me, I started preferring to stay inside than getting those sticky chemicals pasted on my face. Till I finish my student as well as hostel life Holi would always be like this for me. Any festival loses its true meaning when we are away from our close ones. May be after I go back to my state after finishing studies and all, these festivals will regain the same importance as they used to have during my childhood.