Is there any festival which has born out of jealousy? Indeed, it is here right in India. It is nothing but Holi, which is being celebrated today wherever an Indian community lives…Rajshri Iyer talks about the symbolic and transgressing aspects of the festival of colors celebrated in different parts of India.

Every festival will have its own roots in myths along with its traditional tracks. Thus Holi has its long and sturdy taproots extended from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, with its thinner branches spread to different parts of the country in an asymmetrical manner. Various parts of India celebrate Holi in different ways and based on different myths. But on the whole we can trace back to Lord Krishna’ mischievous pranks in his childhood.

A jealous myth

When it comes to Krishna, the phenomenon ‘love’ takes its various dimensions to the amazement of those who perceive it. His love towards Radha made the poets to sing infinite melodies of immortality. But it is said that Krishna was a bit of jealousy towards his love, Radha over her fair complexion!!! (“No true love there can be without its dread penalty–jealousy”)So in His usual pranks with His ever obedient Gopikas, he used to smear Radha with dark paints or powders to make her ugly. Legends say that he used to do this mischievous act upon other Gopis also. Anyways, as to anything from Krishna, Radha was said to be enjoyed in this game of colors, even though it makes her unrecognizable.

As the time passes, the game of colors also got transformed gradually. And now, it became a rare chance for wet and wild fun for the youths and teens to mingle in the public with the mute consent of the community. Small and big screens compete with vigor over projecting the wet and wild funs in the streets and in the discotheques. At some times, more than simply a fun, or a festivity, it becomes the trenching ground of a virtuous tradition.

Romantic Holi

Holi rememorize Krishna’s pranks and as such, in Mathura (Krishna’s birth place), Barsona (Radha’s birth place) and in Vrindavan (the play ground of Krishna) the holi celebration reaches the pinnacle of devotion, reverence, festivity, enjoyment and everything positive. It becomes a resurgence of an era romantic to the chore.

When holi comes in the full moon day of Phalgun month of Hindu Calender, it becomes the mark of the kick start of spring season leaving behind the nullity of an ennui winter. Full moon is there, bonfire in memory of the Holika,(portraying the triumph of virtue over the evil), is there, the stage is all set to play the game of romance once again, in Vrindavan, Barsona and Mathura (Nandagaoan).

Men from Nandagaon come to play holi with the girls of Barsona. Sri Radhikaji Temple proclaims the solemn coming, raising flags of celebration upon the mast. Unlike in other places, instead of colors the Barsona girls greet the boys of Nandagaon with sticks and the boys defend the beats with shields (laath maar holi). Anyways, an unfortunate fellow is getting captured by the girls and they thrash him as if in a mock play. But at the end he has to adorn himself in a woman’s apparel and dance before the public to their amusement. The natives tell the story of Krishna, who once when had been captured and forced by the ladies had to do such a dance in a quixotic time. Then the women folk of Nandagaoan reciprocate to this when the Barsona men invade into their land, with dousing colors upon them.

In Sur Das’s hymns we can see the glimpses of such an amusing episode when he narrates about the pranks of Krishna and his friends.

Colors of Myths

Another hefty myth about holi festival is related with Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu was an atheist King who had his son Prahlada, an ardent believer of Lord Vishnu. Even after repeated warning, Prahlada never gave up chanting Vishnu hymns. So the father decided to kill the son. The King then, called out his sister Holika, who had acquired a special boon that she would not be affected by fire. As per the advice of her brother, she along with Prahlada walked into the burning fire. But the boon had a clause that the fire would not affect her only if she is alone. Thus she was succumbed to death and Prahlada was rescued by Lord Vishnu. This legendary episode claims the victory of evil over the piety or virtue. Thus the festival Holi has been named after Holika and in every part of India the festival starts with a bonfire that is Holika dahana.

Another version tells the story of Kamadeva, the Lord of Love. When Lord Shiva was under a long meditation without any caring of worldly affairs, Kamadeva has been delegated to awaken Him. When Kamadeva shot his arrows to call Shiva’s attention towards the turmoil going on in the universe,

Shiva got enraged and opening His Third Eye, firing, made Kamadeva into ashes. So for the remembrance of Kamadeva’s tremendous sacrifice for the sake of universal peace and prosperity, people celebrate holi with a bonfire, which is Kama dahana. Anyway, after the pleading of Kamadeva’s wife, Lord Shiva has restored him, but as a mental image, representing the true emotional aspect of love beyond the physical lust.

However, In India, Holi commemorates the upcoming spring season and hence termed as Vasanthotsav.  In West Bengal, Tagore has traditionally reintroduced this festival in his university, Shantiniketan. In Bengal and Orissa it is a festival of Phalguna Poornima or full moon and the birthday of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who had penned a lot of hymns about Krishna.

Celebrations

Holy is the festival of colors. Smearing each other with color powders, paints, and water color people sing and dance along the streets in ecstasy. Even in the Prime Minister’s and President’s official residences, these kinds of celebrations are being staged with all the din and bustle of a festivity.

Among the Bhil Tribes in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, youths are allowed to form liaisons in this medley which may lead to marriages at times. Anyways, Holi is a celebration without tethers.

In the Western parts of India it is celebrated in an enchanting traditional way. A pot of butter milk is tied up high and the boys making a pyramid among them try to catch the pot, meanwhile the girls standing around throw colors at the boys. This also is in remembrance of an episode of Krishna’s childhood pranks.

Go Organic

Be it in Kashmir or in Kanyakumari, Holi connotes the vibrancy of colors. No one bothers if his white shirt turned to be a collage or his very face unidentifiable at the time of Holi. Colors ideally represent various hues of spring season to which the mass welcome in a frenzied mood.

Earlier the colors used were made out of parijat, neem, kumkum, bilwa and like medicinal herbs in order to prevent the body from being affected by viral fever and common cold at the onset of a climate change. In the name of urbanization we lost our plants and trees and hence a natural switch over to artificial dyes happened in Holy season. In the year 2001 some environmental groups like Vatavaran, Toxic Link etc. conducted a study on the chemical materials used as gulal, abeer etc. and found out that these artificial colors would cause hazardous effect in human body. Their study on the three materials that is, pastes, dry color, and water color revealed that they contain chemicals which induce skin cancer, temporary blindness, dermatitis and renal failure. Perhaps, the gulal traders appear even one week before Holi at the road sides might be unaware of this harmful effect, though the cartons in which it comes packed is labeled as ‘for industrial purpose only’.

Besides, as bonfire makes significant part of the festival, it is said that each bonfire would cost 100 Kg wood. About 30,000 bonfires will be there in the State of Gujarath only. So it is advised that one symbolic community bonfire can be have at one place instead of many in different places so that  we can cut down the wastage of wood. More over, it is common to douse each other with buckets of colored water or pumping it with big syringes. When India faces an acute water scarcity is it better to switch over to dry colors only?

Whatever happens to the style of living and the living ambience, religious festivals will be in accordance with its usual tracks. This year Holy was on March 1^st. As usual, it reminded once more about the love without lust, Holi Milan, color plays and mouth watering sweets. Above all, the radiance traversed in various colors nourished and complemented the ethereal elements of love and jealousy harmoniously compiled.

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