Radha - The Colors Of Female Beauty This Holi

The colors of Holi remind me of the song ‘rahen na rahen hum’, a song by Mohammed Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur. Yes, the song isn’t typically related to the festival but it reminds me of the word ‘Basant’ or spring.

Holi signifies the start of spring in India and the expression of throwing colors represents the joyous times that this season brings about.

Many folklores go around in the country regarding the celebration of Holi. One is the eternal love of Radha and Krishna.

Other is the victory of good over evil in the case of Prahalad, Narasimha Narayana over Hiranyakashipu.

From the flowerful holi in parts of Vrindavan to the colorful fest we have in urban areas, Holi is a time to purely have fun.

It is observed as "Rang Panchami" in Maharashtra, a state in western India. On this day, folks enjoy customary sweets and spicy dishes while playing with colored powders and singing and dancing to the beat of dhols.

A distinctive practice of chanting and playing percussion instruments on the roads is also observed in several areas of the state.

The Punjab region celebrates "Hola Mohalla," which is like Holi for warriors in appearance, sound, and feel. It is observed the day prior to Holi.

The purpose of the festival, which includes a stirring exhibition of martial arts, horseback riding, and poetry recitation, is to honor the valor of Sikh soldiers, particularly those of the Nihang Sikh sect. Later, this is followed by dance, music, and color.

In various towns around the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand over the course of a few months, people celebrate Kumaoni Holi. The beginning of the production season for the farming community is marked by this celebration.

It is more of a musical event than a celebration of colors like in the other states.

They start the Holika pyre, also known as "Cheer," which is a bonfire with a limb from a green Paiya tree in the center.

It may be called by various names, but Holi is one such festival that not only brings out the colors of this country but its rich and diverse culture too.

Be it the saffron valor, peaceful white, or the green of sacrifice, when blended together in the tricolor, they represent us as a nation.

 

Half of the faces in this country are female. And as this festival has fallen on the same day as International Women's Day, the occasion has become doubly special.

On one hand, there is one of the most celebrated women in Indian folklore - Radha. 

She is the one who is not only a symbol of love and divinity but also of what could be feminism in that era. 

She owns every color of herself without shying away from her whites, blacks, or greys. 

As colors cover humans, it also shows that all of us have many colors within ourselves and they give birth to different personas we carry. Holi is an ode to the acceptance of all the shades we carry and to all the people who bring out those colors in us.

As you go on to paint any or every woman around you with bright colors today, let's hope to bring more colors of equality, respect, and dignity into her life too.