Holi and Dhuleti
( Festival of Colour )
Amongst India's innumerable festivals, Holi ranks as the most
colourful. It celebrates the arrival of spring and death of demoness Holika, it is a
celebration of joy and hope. Holi provides a refreshing respite from the mundane norms as
people from all walks of life enjoy themselves. In a tight knit community, it also
provided a good excuse for letting off some steam and settling old scores, without causing
physical injury.
Holi continues to be celebrated with great vigour through out India. Countless Hindi
films have brought the vibrant colours of the festival to the screen. Indians all over the
world eagerly await the Festival of Colours, as bonfires are lit to banish the cold dark
nights of winter and usher in warmer spring. Dhuleti, day after Holi, is the actual
festival of colours, when everything in sight is covered in a riot of colours.
Twin towns of Nandagow ( where Lord Krishna grew up ) and Barsana ( where Shri Radha
grew up ), near Mathura, are the epicentre of the celebrations. Lord Krishna, while
growing up in Vraj, popularised the festival with his ingenious pranks. Gopies of Vraj
responded with equal enthusiasm and the festivities have continued ever since. Role
reversal, feminism etc. are accepted customs for the duration of the festival! Men and
women of Vraj clash in a colourful display of battle of the sexes.
Celebrations start a week earlier than rest of India. Men of Nandagow raid Barsana
with hopes of raising their flag over Shri Radhikaji's temple. They receive a thunderous
welcome as the women of Barsana greet them with long wooden sticks. The men are soundly
beaten as they attempt to rush through town to reach the relative safety of Shri
Radhikaji's temple. Men are well padded as they are not allowed to retaliate. In this mock
battle the men try their best not to be captured. Unlucky captives can be forcefully lead
away, thrashed and dressed in female attire before being made to dance!!
Rush through Barsana is far more lethal than running with the bulls in Spain, at least
you don't have to marry them one day! Famous poets like Surdas, Nand-das, Kumbhan-das and
others, have written beautifully as to how Lord Krishna was similarly received and forced
to wear a sari, forced to wear make-up and made to dance before being released by the
gopies of Vraj.
The next day, men of Barsana reciprocate by invading Nandagow. Clouds of pink and
white powder mark the frenzy of activity taking place in it's narrow streets. A naturally
occurring orange-red dye, Kesudo, is used to drench all participants. Today, the women of
Nadagow beat the invaders from Barsana. It is a colourful site. In the interest of
tourisum and safety, the state tourist board has set up excellent vantage points for the
public. A large open ground, on the outskirts of the town is specially set aside for the
most magnificent display of the festivities.
The next day, the temples in Vrindavan celebrate the festival with great guesto. The
renowned temple of Bakai-Bihari, the beloved lord of the 15th century saint Haridas, is at
the centre of the festivities. Clouds of pink and white descend upon the pilgrims, as the
Lord of Vrindavan plays holi with all his beloved visitors.
The festival moves on to other parts of Vraj. Soon enough, it is Dhulati and entire
India celebrates the joys of spring as the "festival of colour".
Gulal-Kund in Vraj is a beautiful little lake, set in a delightful groves near the
mountain Goverdhan, in the Mathura district. Here the festival is commemorated on a more
regular basis. Pilgrims who visit the holy land of Vraj, can see the re-enactments of Holi
throughout the year at this lake. Local boys, acting in the Krishna-Lila drama troupes
re-enact the scenes of holi for the pilgrims.
Royal courts all over North India refined the festival in to an art form of its own.
Rajput warriors of the Rajasthani courts used to show off their equestrian skills during
the festival. Rajput men would ride their steeds through the white and pink clouds of
colour, throwing colour powders on each other. Even the members of the royal families were
not immune from being drenched by colour. The entire court would be drenched in saffron
water and an orange-red dye of the "kasuda" flowers.
Pushti-Marga
temples, spread throughout North and Western States of India, celebrate the festival in a
way reminiscent of rajput courts. The Deity, and the laity, are liberally sprinkled with
perfumes, saffron water, kesudo, and covered in sandalwood aswell as the white and pink
powder, abil and gulal. Joyous celebration is accompanied by classical music, poetry and
folk songs appropriate for the occasion. Deity's white clothes' are soon transformed into
a mass of colour as gold and silver syringes spray colourful water on all participants.
The celebrations officially usher in the pleasant season of love, spring. In the
Pushti-Marga temples, the festivities last for almost a month. Beginning on the day of
Vasant-Panchami, the festivals last till the day after Holi. This helps prolong the season
of joy.
Poem :- The weather is most pleasant and the spring flowers are in full bloom.
Skies are clear, days are warm and nights are pleasantly cool. What more could you ask
for, except to be covered in the "ranga" (colour) of your beloved!
An abridged, Gujarati version of this was published in the
"Gujarat Samachar", a UK weekly paper.
© Bhagwat Shah
