Essential Spirit Of Holi

The festival of Holi heralds the arrival of spring and the end of winter. The season of spring marks the time of rebirth and renewal for vegetation and animals. With the newfound warmth in the air, dormant buds in trees and plants swell and burst open, exhibiting new leaves and flowers.  Animals that hibernate to avoid harsh cold come out of their hideouts. Holi celebrates this beauty in the environment and the freedom from the shackles of debilitating winter. Large crowds of people come together in public spaces, streets, temple premises and every open space to celebrate it with music and dance.  In some regions, traditional folk dances or other local dances are also performed. It is a phenomenon that resonates equally across urban and rural societies. 

Though the festival of colours has Hindu roots, a growing number of people from across faiths are participating in its festivities. The pull of the vibrant festival is so strong that celebrants from every walk of life and age group – whether toddler or able-bodied elderly – involve themselves in the celebration, bringing every alley, street and entire neighbourhood to life. The fervour is so contagious that foreign tourists, too, cannot help but join the celebrations. Every year during this time, visitors are ubiquitously seen splashing colours on fellow celebrants and getting smeared with coloured powders beyond recognition in turn. Colours are beautiful, and so is the festival of colours.  

On Thursday, this daily carried a story highlighting how the festival has evolved into a decent celebration. As recent as a decade back, the boisterous festival didn't used to be as civil as it is now. During those days, groups of revellers, comprised of mainly young men and boys, would exuberantly hurl water-filled balloons and coloured-powder at every passer-by without their consent. The target used to be mainly young women and girls. The celebrations typically would start a fortnight earlier than the actual festival day. 

To keep girls safe from such reckless behaviours, most schools had to stay closed for at least a week.  In some cases, a handful of intoxicated revellers committing the act of transgression was not uncommon, casting a sombre shadow over the celebrations. It is because of the actions of the few breaching the true spirit of Holi that it gained notoriety for vulgarity - an excuse to let the animal instincts run amok. 

But that was long ago. Discarding unruly behaviour in favour of a civilised one marks the Holi's true spirit of renewal – the soul of our culture. It also signals a profound shift in our consciousness.  As our culture evolves, we dispose of its bad elements and retain the good ones. We also show no reluctance to make space for a new element that enriches our traditions.  At its core, our culture encourages to right the wrong and make amendments when necessary. Nothing is set in stone, after all. This is reflected in the shifting behaviours during Holi.      

Celebration of festivals plays a pivotal role not only in the preservation of cultural heritage but also in the passing down of traditions and practices from one generation to the next. Our culture is intertwined with our identity – one we carry wherever we go and forms the basis of how people in distant lands see us. It is perhaps the most effective way to tell the world who we are and what we value.