Fiction: Holi in Braj Bhoomi

Legend has it that a young god Krishna once complained to his foster mother, Yashodha, about how Radha was so fair in stark contrast to his dark hue. Yashodha humorously told him to smear some colour on Radha’s face. Following her suggestion, Krishna and his fellow cowherds from Nandgaon went to another village, named Barsana, and mischievously slopped colour on Radha and her other gopis (cowherd maidens). The girls, in turn, responded by chasing the boys away with sticks. This was the beginning of Holi, the festival of colours. Every year, in the end of February or beginning of March, various parts of the Subcontinent are suddenly turned upside-down: social interactions are riddled with pranks; people are doused with coloured powers; dancing erupts in the streets. There is food and good cheer galore. Holi is celebrated in many parts of the Subcontinent, with gusto and rambunctious verve. But in Braj Bhoomi – the vaguely defined area of Uttar Pradesh encompassing Mathura, Krishna’s birthplace; Vrindavan, where he grew up; his natal village of Nandgaon, and Radha’s village of Barsana – Holi has a particularly special meaning. For more than a week before Holi is celebrated elsewhere, colours and festivities take over the streets and villages of Braj Bhoomi, with people coming from afar to witness and participate in the excitement. Temples in the area are suddenly packed with devotees. Over these crowds, from dawn till dusk, priests spray saffron-coloured water with their pichhkaris, and throw coloured powder. Meanwhile, hordes of people squeeze into these temples, hoping to fall into a trance and catch a glimpse of the Krisha and Radha idols behind the curtains. Daily processions jostle to get by in the already crowded streets and alleys of Vrindavan. Frenzied chants of Radhe, Radhe! blend into the euphoric Holi hai! The highlight of the weeklong festival is Latthmaar Holi, which is played on consecutive days in Barsana and Nandgaon. On the first day, the menfolk from Nandgaon dress in their traditional attire, and go off to play Holi in Barsana; there, the women beat them off with lathis, in a re-enactment of Krishna and Radha. As the women of Barsana teach the Nandgaon young men a lesson – with their husbands cheering to them hit harder – the elders of both villages congregate in the village temple and sing colourful ballads of Holi. These songs are known as hori. During the subsequent days, the tables are turned in Nandgaon: the men from Barsana are at the receiving end of the stick from the women from Nandgaon. Holi here has not been free of modern-day changes, including some problems and politics. What used to be a festival of 16 days now lasts only a week. While traditional coloured powder is still in very wide use, colours containing toxic chemicals have also made inroads. Traditional folk singing is also getting replaced by recorded music. Only time will tell how much of the last remains of the traditional Holi celebrated in the holy grounds of Braj Bhoomi will be able to survive in the face of changing times.