Nandish Sandhu: "Holi Will Never Be the Same Without My Brother Omkar" | Exclusive

Holi is here, and with it comes a wave of colors, joy, and celebration. For Nandish Sandhu, Holi is a bittersweet time, filled with memories of his late brother Omkar. We spoke to Nandish about his favorite Holi memories, how he celebrates the festival, and his top tips for making the most of Holi.

Excerpts...

What are some special memories of Holi that you cherish?

If we talk about any special memories of Holi, then there are some memories, like I said earlier, of my hometown. The Holi of my childhood was special with my family. I have memories of my hometown. And with my younger brother Omkar, my last Holi, because he is not there anymore. So, I think the Holi of 22, in 23, we lost him. So, whenever I think of Holi, or when Holi is about to come, when there is an atmosphere of Holi, then I remember that last Holi with Omkar.

Photo Credit: Instagram

How do you prepare for playing Holi?

There is no particular routine that I follow, but yes, it is just that whenever I am playing Holi, like I played Holi after many years last year, this year I am still thinking about whether I will play with color or not. But if I am going out to play Holi, then sunscreen is a must, some moisturizer or oil is a must, because it becomes easy to take out the color, and carry a water bottle with me. So these three things are extremely important, because now it is hot around Holi, and there is a rush, all the shops are not easily open, and they are closed in many places.

How has your way of celebrating Holi changed over the years?

Usually Holi, it depends, like last year I said I played Holi with color, I had to meet all my friends that time. This year, I might not go to any Holi party, I might just end up at somebody's house or have some people over to my home, and just celebrate Holi, you know, order good food, watch something together, maybe play some Gulal, so it keeps changing every year.

Photo Credit: Instagram

How has the way people celebrate and connect during festivals like Holi changed over time?

Over the years, not only Holi, but a lot of things have also changed in terms of celebrating all kinds of festivals. Earlier, like on Holi, we didn't know who was going to come home because we didn't have mobile phones. And the landline phones inside the house kept ringing, but on Holi, everyone was out playing so no one would go to pick up the phone in our hometown. Now, I think, you know, over the years, slowly, slowly, everything is coming to an end. People wish on WhatsApp by sending emojis or GIF files. Earlier, we used to get calls from people. Happy Holi, brother. Happy Holi. We used to send messages to our relatives. Now, all that has changed.