From playing “dirty and naughty” Holi during his younger days to now sticking to only dry colours, musician Yo Yo Honey Singh goes down memory lane and relives his memories of the festival of colours. “I have loved Holi since childhood, when it used to be all wet and wild. We used to start at 7 am and go on till 6 pm, and it’d be really filthy, with grease, dark colours, eggs and water balloons. But now, it’s mostly with gulaal. I miss that fun a lot,” says Singh, for whom “eating gujiya and dahi bhalle” is the most exciting part about the day, though he confesses he has “never tried bhang”.

While the concept of Holi parties is quite famous in Bollywood, Singh prefers celebrating the festival with friends. “I like to celebrate all the festivals — Diwali, Holi, Dussehra or Gurupurab — in my hometown (Delhi), with my friends, rather than attending flashy Bollywood parties,” he asserts.

As for plans this year, the De Taali (Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2; 2022) singer informs that he has lot of work to finish on his album Honey 3.0, “so I would be in my studio, working on Holi”. He adds, “For almost 10 years now, I’ve been celebrating Holi and performing in Dubai. Wahan Holi ka mazaa hi kuch alag hai. It’s a very multiracial place, where people across castes, religions and cultures come together and play Holi. It’s organized well, usually in a water park, where 10,000 to 15,000 people gather and play Holi while we perform,” shares the singer, urging everyone to have a safe Holi.

“Saari duniya ek ghar-parivaar hai, so don’t cross the line. Nashe se door raho, Holi ko maze mein enjoy karke, khushi se manao,” advises the Brown Rang singer, adding, “Make sure you don’t make women uncomfortable.”

For Singh, this is also his birthday month, as the singer turns 40 on March 15. While he has been celebrating Holi and his birthday in Dubai for many years now, he happens to be in India in Holi this time around. But he’ll travel to Dubai on his birthday. “I got a show to perform, so despite my packed schedule, I will be travelling to Dubai for a day on my birthday,” Singh signs off.