Colorful Holi

Today is Holi—one of the main Indian festivals of the year. The colorful powder pyramids you see in the header are what make Holi exciting. It’s celebrated to mark the beginning of summer, with the intention of ridding oneself of the old and transgressing boundaries..yep, all in one. Purists save up papers from the past year and burn them in a large bonfire. But everyone seems to participate in the crossing boundaries bit. If you’ve seen an Indian movie where people throw bright powdered colors on one another, this is it. The bright powder is sold on the street starting at least a month in advance in these very eye-catching cone shapes. During this day of the year those from lower positions are able to get back. So a woman from a lower caste might throw colors—or even fire a colored-water squirt gun—at a man from an upper caste. Or students might go into a teacher’s house and eat all the food in the fridge. People in positions of authority might be forced to sit on a donkey and be mocked. Apparently this can get all a bit out of hand, but for the most part it doesn’t.

This is particularly interesting in a country where caste is still important. One professor we’ve met told us that caste is still an important factor in choosing a spouse. And a fifteen-minute drive through the city will reveal the wide range of socio-economic positions. A NY Times travel article recently reminded visitors to Delhi to “gird yourself for wretching scenes of destitution.” The architecture reveals some of these stark contrasts. Here is a picture of India Gate built by the British with this expansive road designed to inspire a sense of grandeur. Contrast this with the ancient architecture built long before the British, which struggles to survive on a more typical bustling street and amidst the needs of people who themselves are struggling to make a living. The blue tarp on the right is a make-shift shop, which is a common sight on most streets in India--often there are many sort of leaning up against each other. I can’t bring myself to take pictures of the “wretching scenes of destitution.”



We had been warned to be careful on this day. So we stayed near home, heading to the main quad in the early evening—assuming things would just be getting started. Unfortunately we had not realized that the real action takes place in the morning. So instead what we saw were the after effects…lots of people with red died hands and faces…and some with what looked like tie died clothes of every color. There were powdered colors sprinkled on the streets and people were generally in an upbeat mood. We even saw an auto rickshaw whose side was entirely sprayed in various colors. Apparently it takes several days to fade the colors of Holi.