Inder Gopal Photography: Holi - Festival of Colours

2016 - Dauji Mandir

Holi the Festival of Colours

For the past few years I have been visiting Braj Region (Mathura, Vrindhavan, Nandgaon, Barsana, Dauji Mandir area) to photograph the most colourful festival of India. I used to see images of photographers since many many years but never wanted to be away from home on Holi. It was three years back I came across that this region celebrated Holi a week before the day we celebrate it. I researched a little more on the net and found that this festival starts from Barsana where Radha belonged with Laddoo Holi followed the next day by Lathmaar Holi at Barsana itself and then the scene shifts to Nandgaon where Krishna spent his childhood. Then on each day there is Holi celebrated in one or the other adjoining areas.

Radha was a very fair complexioned young girl while Krishna was dark with blue tinged complexion. He wanted to know why Radha was so fair complexioned and why he was so. Would he be accepted by Radha and her female friends? Yashoda Ma suggested that he should apply any colour on Radha and he did so. From here it started the festival of colours. Braj region celebrates for about sixteen days.

This festival brings in bonhomie where people forgive and forget any past acrimonies by applying colours to each other and hug each other irrespective of the status. This also marks the start of the Spring season. Each region of India celebrates Holi in a different way. Personally I have witnessed Holi celebrated in the north close to my home. Braj region being close to Delhi obviously it was easier to travel.

On my first trip my intention was to photograph Laddoo Holi but since dates of all our festivals are connected to the movement/placement of Celestial bodies, on reaching Vrindhavan I got to know it was held a day before and on that day it was Lathmaar at Barsana. Of all the researches by me on days and timings of Holi in these places I did find the dates and enticing images but there was no mention of the time when festivities really start in these places. It was while checking into the hotel I got to know the time. It starts around 2 PM though gathering starts building up since 12 noon. I had driven on my one visit to Vrindhavan but opted to hire a local driver for the days I was there to avoid looking for the route to reach these places of interest. I am unfortunately very very bad with my directions and I lose my way very easily. On both days the driver dropped me to the nearest spot and he told me that I would find him there at the end of the festivity before driving to the temporary parking lot in the field. I spent nearly one hour looking for him in the evening. Mobile signals were very bad and could not connect with him. I took my chances to reach the parking lot. Anyways it all added to the adventure.

It was interesting to be there shooting all the action getting coloured and wet in the process. The second trip I made I did not opt for a local driver as the previous experience was not good. But this time I did not want to stay in the hotel I stayed the first time. I booked after seeing a hotel I thought would be good. I wanted to check in before proceeding to Barsana but found the hotel was under renovation. I drove very carefully into the driveway lest I knocked off some support to the linter. I saw the room looked for a refrigerator to enjoy a chilled beer cans on return but none was there. The manager said he would try and get one placed but somehow I did not find myself comfortable with the idea of ongoing construction work for peaceful night. I looked for another hotel more closure to the central part of Vrindhavan.

As I searched internet I found there was one resort closure to Barsana-Nandgaon but they had a room just for the night though I had planned stay two more nights in the area. I saw two hotels across to where I was temporarily parked. Luckily I found a room in Hotel Krishnam. This property was one year old hotel with with good spacious rooms. Another handicap these days the lighting system is connected those electronic locks. Once the key card is taken out of the slot the whole electricity to the room is disconnected including the fridge generally found in hotel rooms this renders it a useless piece of a facility. I tried getting Ice Cubes but none was available in whole of Vrindhavan as in this last trip I found out. Raw ice is available but we have got used to more mineral water and ice cubes, in a way our system has become very soft.

2015 After coming out of Dauji Mandir. Photo by Sushil Khandelwal

I mentioned LUCKILY in the previous paragraph. On my return from Nandgaon I was full of colours as I walked into the hotel. The owner of the property was there and as I collected my key to the room we got into a chitchat. He talked about a French photographer Xavier Zimbardo who had stayed in the hotel the previous year. He has been a regular visitor to India for photographing various festivals and other social aspects of our country. So this photographer took him along to a Holi shoot at Dauji Mandir and other areas and showed me images on his mobile, I think he had a few video clips as well. The Holi at Dauji Mandir takes place after we have celebrated main Holi - Dhulandi. I had to be there for the shoot as what I saw was really a wild wild Holi celebrations that could not be missed at any cost.

I wanted to avoid driving both ways on the same day. I asked one of my photographer friends Sushil Khandelwal living in Noida. He is more into architectural photography being employed with School of Architecture. He was honest to admit that he has never in the real sense involved in such genre of photography BUT he was a game to try at least once. It was nice to have a company and specially the very drab driving on the Yamuna Expressway really makes one sleepy. Well at least I do get sleepy. One of my visiting relatives also desired to come along. We reached late to Dauji Mandir where Holi celebration was in full swing. The central courtyard is small where colours are played while arrangements were made on the roof. First we went up on the roof but could not find even a centimetre of space to look down. We deposited our relative on the roof with the hope he may be able to squeeze himself get a viewing position and we hurriedly went down into the thick of action. It is a wet, very wet and wild, truly very wild. The women folks tear off the top clothing of the menfolk and whipping with those wet clothes the men. It was fun shooting and getting being beaten up by these wet clothes. The fun part was that women would ask to be photographed but their thank you was by by whipping me. Lucky my top clothes were not torn off that was the saving grace. This year of course I had a close shave as the ladies nearly decided to rip of my T-shirt. Getting whipped on bare body would have been more painful that was my fear. Top clothing of many foreign photographers were ripped off.

This year mush before Holi, Sushil started checking travel plans for Holi as he was spiced up with the previous experience. Since he had to attend office we skipped Barsana decided to shoot Nandgaon, Vrindhavan and with extended stay we wanted to check some other places as well like Mathura. Of course we stayed at Krishnam Hotel and it was a pleasure meeting and interacting with the owner. He belongs to Delhi and is into real estate development and must be coming during this season.

During my last 2015 visit while looking for a hotel I some how drove to the Jamuna bank. There were old structures that attracted my attention but my priority was to get an accommodation as early as possible so that I could drive to Barsana. By the time I got a room it was too late so decided to rest.

This time around I told Sushil about the interesting structures. While shooting in the streets of Vrindhavan near Banke Bihari Temple we walked up to the river. We took a boat ride to capture the old monuments. The young boat boy informed us that Arti will take place in the evening. He was very nice and we booked him for the evening as well. It gave us a chance to shoot Arti and it was a bonus. Photography does help make friends. We met a few foreign photographers besides Indians while shooting the procession in the city. Here on the banks we met the American photographer Mr. Russel (hope spelling is correct) again and offered him to join us on the boat.

2016 - Sushil with an American photographer Russel outside Radha Vallabh Temple, Vrindhavan

After having our dinner in Vrindhavan we started for Noida. It was enjoyable to be there.

I heard there is a festival during Holi in Madhya Pradesh - Bhagodha. I was informed it is a tribal festival where young people in their tribal dresses come to river bank. The females chew paan and if any of the girls fancies a young male she spits on him. They both elope from the place returning few days after within the celebration days to get formally married. I have just heard about it but needs to personally witnessed with the camera. Requires advance planning with train reservations and other logistics of boarding and lodging. I will try to be on high alert for this festival and am hoping Sushil will be there to experience something new.

Some of my images from Holi over the past three years are showcased here under: