dancing and being completely immersed
in the name of Krishna to bewitch the lord.
I was not only enthralled and overjoyed
by the scene but also my senses found a
new rhythm. My feet started moving and I
knew not when I started
dancing and jumping
with only ‘Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna, Krishna
Krishna Hare Hare’ on
my mouth. This very
same feeling is what, I
believe, connects me to
this temple. I feel it’s not
my body that takes me
there, it is as if they want
me there every time
around.
Similarly, after a while, I
lost myself again in the
divine name of the lord
and didn’t know what
happened next, until it
was the time to close
the darbars (or gates)
of the temple. I had to
undesirably leave the
temple and felt as if the
hours passed in minutes
t h at d ay.
Holi is celebrated to depict the victory of
good over evil and has a very religious
purpose associated with it, symbolising the
legend of Holika. The night before Holi,
bonfires are lit in a ceremony known as
Holika Dehan (burning of Holika Demon).
People gather near the bonfire, sing, dance
and pray to the Lord.
As the Holika was being
burned in the evening,
I met a Brazilian
man, who being fully
disguised in the attire
of a yogi with a rosary (a
string of prayer beads) in
his hand, asked me what Holika
Dehan was about. After explaining its
history, I asked him if he was doing okay
because he looked depressed. He said,
rather broken-heartedly that the next day
would be his last day in the city and he
would be leaving for Rio after staying in the
country for 5 months. Then I realised that
there was something spiritual in this place,
as everybody who comes here finds some
kind of solace within their soul.
The next day which is celebrated as
Dhulandi all over the country, I decided to
explore the streets of Vrindavan, to catch a
sight of some smiling faces of the devotees
who get lost in the moments of pure bliss.
People strolling in the streets of this holy
city often get surprised when mildly hot
water is pelted over them from different
corners. They try to run away as quickly as
possible but only to find someone else colortheir face in frenzy.The cows and monkeys strolling around
are an intrinsic part of Vrindavan. Cows
with festoons of flowers around their neck
and monkeys who are always ready to grab
your eyewear in return of some food are
discernible in its every street.Shops with lassi, bhang
and sweets (especially
peda) sprinkled with
color are present at
almost every corner.
The city and its streets
are mired in colors, even
the clouds turned red on that
particular day, bringing a spectacular sight
from below.You could see people all around spraying
colors at each other, be it a friend or
stranger. But herein lies the downside
associated with it, which would refrain any
women from visiting the festival. Women
are especially colored on their faces, necks
and sometimes even their intimate parts
which was very disheartening to see.Soon it was 11.30 A.M. with all the major
doors leading to the temples getting closed,
marking the culmination of this year’s Holi.
While walking back home, I saw a girl ofaround 12-years-old playing with her water
gun and coloring people on the streets, a
bewitching smile emanated from her face
every time she made a successful attempt. It
was such a beautiful sight for which I couldhave given everything if I could see that for
the rest of my life - which literally summed
up my Holi for the year.HOLI AROUND THE WORLD
Holi is celebrated as a social event in parts
of the United States. For example, at Sri Sri
Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork,
Utah, NYC Holi Hai in Manhattan, New
York and Festival of Colors, Holi NYC in
Brooklyn. In New York, Holi is celebrated
as the Festival of Color, where thousands
of people gather from all over the United
States to celebrate.A number of Holi-inspired social events
have also surfaced, particularly in Europe
and the United States and UK, often
organized by companies as for-profit or
charity events with paid admission, and
with varying scheduling that does not
coincide with the actual Holi festival. Some
places you can head to, are:LIFE IN COLOR, MIAMI, FLORIDA
‘Life In Color’ is the biggest color festival
out there. A concept that started out as a
college festival in Florida, it has progressed
into a worldwide color party. This festival
takes places all over the world in short
intervals and you can head to this festival
for the perfect combination of music and
colors.Holi festival also comes as a treat
to the photographers. For the
colors and the joy of happiness
is so enticing that they can’t
stop themselves from picking up
their lenses and getting out on
the streets drenched with vibrant
emotions.Street Hunter
Canon EOS70D 18mm F/3.5 1/1250s ISOAbbas Baig
New Delhi,India