Stop, or my pichkari will shoot!

NEW DELHI: No Holi celebration would be complete without the everpopular pichkari. Made from bamboo, brass, plastic or metal, pichkaris are portable reservoirs of coloured water that come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The origins the pichkari can be traced back to the pranks of Lord Krishna, who would douse the gopis of the village with water using the traditional bamboo pichkari.Originally shaped like simple pistons, pichkaris have undergone a big change in recent years. Targeted at an action-oriented generation fed on a staple diet of GI Joe and X-Men, pichkaris today look more like guns and other hi-tech weapons, complete with flashing lights and target- precision technology. So be it AK-47, AK-57 or the bulky Bazooka, their nozzles are aptly shaped to spurt out coloured water with a force that would make the real thing sit up and take notice. The tank capacity can go upto two litres. ''That is almost like taking the romance out of the pichkari,'' said 60-year-old Sat Prakash, who had come to Laxmi Nagar market to buy a pichkari for his grandson. ''In earlier days, many of us could get even by the time the other person refilled his or her pichkari,'' he said. What is even more fascinating is the number of Chinese-made pichkaris that have flooded the market this year. The more colourful ones have more than one nozzle and different channels to fill more than one colour. The result — an even more colourful spurt that splashes different colours and all at one go. And if you were looking for a truly Chinese semblance, there are some that have a dragon for a nozzle. Only this dragon breathes water instead of fire! But whatever the make, the idea is to get the other person drenched before he gets to you. And if all else fails, all you need is a bucket or the garden hose to make a colourful splash. Happy Holi!!