Colour me safe

Representation pic

Have an eco-friendly Holi
Celebrate with colours at home this year by choosing eco-friendly options. At Atypical Advantage, discarded temple flowers are recycled to make Holi colours by petalists with intellectual disabilities. These colours are not only safe for your skin, buying them will also help support the livelihoods of their makers.
>>>
TO BUY: https://atypicaladvantage.in/store/holi-colours

Get away from the city

Celebrate Holi a little differently this year by going camping to Kamshet. Samyati Holidays is organising a fun-filled weekend in which you'll get to stay in tents, enjoy BBQs and rain dances and spend two pristine days away from the bustle of the city.
>>>
WHERE: Kamshet
WHEN: March 28 to March 29
COST: R1,899 per person
CALL: 9076068549

Try resisting these thandai macarons

Created with the intent to breathe some desi soul into this delicious French dessert, Philomené has curated a box of six Indian flavoured macarons - pista kulfi, gajar halwa, badam anjeer, gulkhand, thandai
and chocolate.
>>>
WHERE: Philomené Maison Du Pâtisserie
WHEN: March 28, 10 AM to 10 PM
PRICE: R480
TO ORDER: 7208667524

Go for a festive brunch

Four Seasons Hotel is offering an array of Holi special dishes, like litti chokha, Agra ke dahi bhalle, and kachauri bhaji. They also have lip-smacking desserts like brownie gujiyas.
>>>
WHERE: Four Seasons Hotel, Worli
WHEN: March 28, 12.30 PM to 3.30 PM
PRICE: R1,975 onwards
CALL: 9004679265

Holi special sweets from Karnataka

What is a better way to celebrate the festival of colors with some traditional south delicacy from Karnataka called ‘bele holige or bele obbattu' that has a sweet stuffing inside and an outer cover of maida or rava.
>>>
WHERE: Thangabali, Mahim
WHEN: March 28 to March 29,
7 PM - 12 AM
PRICE: R175
CALL: 9321845558

Death by thandai cheesecake

Head to Plate & Pint for some fusion desserts. Don't forget to try the thandai cheesecake, motichoor panna cotta jar and the gulab jamun cheesecake jar.
>>>
WHERE: Plate & Pint, Kemps Corner
WHEN: March 28, 9 AM to 11 PM
PRICE: R180 onwards
CALL: 7045361991

Tend to those locks

If you're worried about the effects of Holi colour on your hair, some dry shampoo might be the quick, pick-me-up your hair needs to keep your tresses fragrant, oil-free and fresh through the festive weekend.
>>>
TO BUY: https://www.batiste.in/

Laugh it up

If the prospect of not celebrating Holi the traditional way this year is getting you down, cheer yourself by joining the live virtual Punchliners Holi Special Comedy Show hosted by comedian Manish Tyagi. Perhaps you won't feel so blue after all.
>>>
WHERE: Zoom
WHEN: March 29, 10 PM
PRICE: R449
TO REGISTER: www.punchliners.in

Watch a teleplay

Spend Holi watching Aaj Rang Hai, written and directed by Purva Naresh, and presented by Zee Theatre. Touching upon the subjects of Holi, peace and communal harmony, this play tells the story of a ‘baithak' singer.
>>>
WHERE: Tata Sky Theatre
WHEN: March 28, 2 PM and 6 PM
PRICE: Free with a Tata Sky subscription

Play online games

Stuck indoors? Switch on the fun by playing some Holi-themed online rummy and poker at Pocket52. The platform is hosting free-to-play tournaments and offering special coupon codes on the occasion to those keen to keep the festive mood going.
>>>
WHERE: https://www.pocket52.com/

Attend a virtual classical concert

For those aching to attend a musical evening this holiday weekend, NCPA@Home's music series will have much to look forward to with performances by Zakir Hussain, Hariprasad Chaurasia, The Symphony Orchestra of India and many more. The concerts will be available online for
seven days.
>>>
WHERE: Webcast on NCPA's Facebook page and YouTube channel
WHEN: March 28 to April 2, 8 PM
CALL: 9773818904

These kebabs will leave you wanting more

Enjoy a lavish spread at Lake View Café, where you can indulge at the indigenous thandai stations, Rajasthani jalebi and rabdi counters, Punjabi choliyyan di hatti, Western grill stations and Indian specialties like kebabs and biryanis.
>>>
WHERE: Lake View Café, Powai
WHEN: March 28, 12.30 PM to 4 PM
PRICE: R3,475 onwards
CALL: 8657415264

Get tipsy on a boozy gulab jamun custard

Don't miss chef Shweta K's Holi special dessert menu. Shweta, who runs Blue Mango on Instagram, has put together a range of sweet treats, including kesar pista macarons, gulkhad thandai eclairs, kesar pista mini madeleines, and a boozy gulab jamun custard jar.

>>>
WHERE: The Blue Mango
WHEN: March 28, 10 AM to 8 PM
PRICE: R350 to R600
TO ORDER: 9136256950

Feed your inner child a sweet box

In keeping with the Holi tradition, Bombay Sweet Shop has curated special Holi sweet boxes. You can try the Holi hai box, balam pichkari box, rang barse bag, phool & pista barks, nutty gujiya and Indian cookies.
>>>
WHERE: Bombay Sweet Shop, Byculla
WHEN: March 28, 11 AM to 9 PM
PRICE: R650 -R1,650
CALL: 7777011097

These Holi treats are worth the calories

Mulk is offering an assortment of colourful Indian traditional cuisine. There's rangeen paneer tikka, rangbirangi seekh kebab, and makhmali kofta. Top it off with delicious desserts, like rangbirangi jalebi, thandai rasmalai and much more.
>>>
WHERE: Mulk, Andheri West
WHEN: March 28, 12.30 PM to 3.30 PM, 7.30 PM to 11.00 PM
PRICE: R270 onwards
CALL: 8879406666

Truly delicious mawa gujiyas

Grab a bite of Khandani Rajdhani's delicious Holi treasures. There's the famous mawa gujiya made with the traditional recipe, and packed with the most flavourful filling, and the signature Holi drink, gulab and kesar thandai.
>>>
WHERE: Khandani Rajdhani, Vashi
WHEN: March 28 to March 29, 12 PM to 3.30 PM and 7 PM to 11 PM
CALL: 27843333

Swoon on a Banarsi meal

Go for a Banaras-inspired Holi dinner. Begin your meal with a glass of thandai, followed by shorba, salads and mains.
>>>
WHERE: Meluha The Fern
Hotel, Powai
PRICE: R1,200 to R1,500
CALL: 25755555

A fresh twist on brunch

Feast from the comfort of your home; with Marriott on Wheels' special Holi brunch box menu. There's everything from potli kheema samosa, char sui chicken skewers, paneer bhurjee, gosht kheema masala, pistachio red fruit tart, and fruity thandais,
like kesar lassi and badam
rose sharbat.
>>>
WHERE: JW Marriott Mumbai, Sahar
WHEN: March 28 to 29, 12 PM to 10 PM
PRICE: R2,250 (veg), R2,500
(non-veg)
CALL: 9167615611

This box of ghevar is just plain good

Get family and friends a gift box from the city's favourite sweet shops. You can choose from gujiya, ghevar, prakari, and chandrakala.
>>>
WHERE: Punjab Sweets, Bandra, and Jhama Sweet, Chembur
WHEN: March 28, 7 AM to 11.15 PM/8 AM to 11 PM
PRICE: R500 onwards
CALL: 9833050840 /8260335577

The virtual holi guide

DOs
>> Make gujiyas and thandai with your family
>> Attend a Holi special online dance session
>> Play Rangtakshari (antakshari of Holi songs) or create and share a Holi special playlist with your family and friends
>> Play with colours, by painting on a canvas with your little ones
>> Organise an online tambola with your family and friends via Zoom
>> Binge watch movies and hold watch parties

DON'Ts
>> Attend large gatherings or parties this weekend
>> Use harmful colours on yourselves and others
>> Spray colours on animals