BEHIND THE SCENES AT A HOLUD

Boys in crisp panjabi, girls in dramatic kameez, colourful lights, excitement in the air – the yellow fever of our deshi holud is just contagious. With months of preparations and rehearsals comes this event that these days, is undoubtedly more important than the wedding itself. 

Especially, to youngsters like us. 

Unlimited fuckha, dance offs between the two sides – everything about holud just oozes thrill and exhilaration. But what happens behind the scene? Is it really as fun and effortless as it seems to be? Well, as a witness I'll say, not quite. Here's how:

The Dancers: 85 percent stake of your successful holud is fulfilled with your choice of the right dancers. Now, mostly comprising your friends, you have to play your diplomatic cards to the best possible way so that you refrain yourself from offending a friend who you have no wish to choose. But it's important to keep your options open too because it's very likely you'd be ditched at least by one of your dancers leaving a deep scar in both your heart and friendship.

The Songs: The right playlist wins half the battle. A lot of thought has to be given to it so that the songs are just the right amounts of classic, contemporary and filmy. There will always be much debate regarding the subject but I, personally, just can't process holud without the old Govinda and Salman Khan songs. NEVER.

The Choreography: Choreography isn't just about steps. It's also about positions and synchronisation. From YouTube, to peeking at other holud videos to rightful imagination – hours and hours are spent to strike the proper balance between absolute energy and sheer subtlety. Choreography and its execution are everything!

The Clothes: Leaving Eid aside, I don't think Chandni Chawk, Islampur or New Market are so significant in anyone's life until before a holud. This is when you grab a target (your mom/sibling/friend) and take them with you on a journey of relentless heat, suffocating crowd and absurd bargaining. From the colour of the panjabi, to the design of the kameez, to the lace that would go on it – everything is decided in just that one visit. It's painful but, hey, looking pretty is a must!

The Venue: A good setting is mandatory too. This is to make sure that the decorations are up to the mark. Also, how the bride and groom would sit, how their dala would be placed, how the DJ and photographers would operate must be taken care of. But most importantly, THE STAGE! It should be big enough to fit all the dancers so that they don't stumble on one another and create a ruckus of their performance.

Battle of the Sides: The holud nowadays are mostly joint ventures where dancers from both parties show off what they've got. But obviously, it isn't just that. There has to be a negotiation between them regarding the timing, playlist and of course, WHO GOES FIRST? The team who goes first automatically gets the advantage of having the audience's full attention since the latter team has to deal with the guests fussing for food. The battle remains till the very end of the performances. Five minutes before one team goes on stage, they intensely gaze at the other team silently notifying one another: THIS IS WAR!

So, the next time you go to a holud, I'm pretty sure you'll observe more keenly and even wonder, what's their story?

Rafidah Rahman is a teeny-tiny Hulk, she's always angry and she's always hungry. A cynical dreamer and a food enthusiast, she's your everyday entertainment. Correspond with her at rafidah_topaz@hotmail.com or https://web.facebook.com/rafidah.rahman.39.