The Indian Festival of Colours - Holi - is an opportunity to give up resistance and move towards inner joy.
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Holi is an Indian spring festival also known as the festival of colours and love. It is an ancient Hindu religious festival which has become popular in many parts of South Asia.
The festival has, in recent times, spread to parts of Europe and North America as a spring celebration of love, frolic and colour.
I have, in my previous posts, given examples of many ways in which we can adopt the posture of submission, reduce the resistance within, and thereby make a paradigm shift in our lives towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. Much the same way, we can try and give up the resistance within and take the plunge into coloured waters this Holi.
One interesting aspect of many religious festivals is that they are increasingly seen as social, joyful events in which members of any religious belief can participate. The extent of religious devotion is a personal choice. The overtly inviting stance where all can participate in the celebrations and fun is deeply cherished at the social level too. This is true of festivals like Christmas, Diwali (festival of lights), Holi, Durga Puja (fight of good over evil), the Iftar parties in the run up to the Eid festival and many more the world over.
Holi is round the corner, to be celebrated on the 17th of March. I have enjoyed playing with colours since childhood. I also have memories of certain ugly things that happen during Holi - hooliganism, a license to indulge in misbehaviour for some, and a general menace for many. Whatever I say here, is with this caveat: carefully choose the company you are going to keep while enjoying Holi.
For the uninitiated, traditionally, Holi is played by smearing colours (both dry and water based) on each other from morning to noon. People are often drenched in coloured water. In short, you can indulge in a lot of fun and frolic by letting your hair down. Unfortunately, the coloured water used can also have menacing variations like the use of chemicals that can be very difficult to wash off from your skin or the more dangerous ones that cause allergic reactions. Once again, if you are sure of your company, you can protect yourself from such risks.
Completely understanding all those who are against playing with colours, and without prejudice to their right to abstain from it, I still have a suggestion to make: please do consider, what within you prevents you from enjoying a simple festival of colours. Is it that old culprit, EGO, once again?
There is a reason why I suspect that this might be the case at times. For instance, I have seen grown-ups getting cross and irritated when little kids try to play Holi with them!
Come on, what do you think is going to happen to you? A bit of colour smeared on your face, some wet clothes, that's all. What is the big fuss about?
And you lose a big opportunity to submit yourself, just give up, and allow yourself to just be. As I keep writing, surrender is that big step necessary to move into your journey towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. Instead of waiting for that opportune moment when you take the giant step by adopting a posture of surrender, why not take up the numerous small opportunities that come in life?
It is interesting to note that there are similar festivals across the globe that give us that opportunity to give up and surrender. La Tomatina is a festival that is held in the Valencian town of Buñol, Spain, in which participants throw tomatoes and get involved in this tomato fight purely for fun. It is held on the last Wednesday of August, during the week of festivities of Buñol. This festival is about as messy as Holi. Once you submit yourself to the discomfort of this messiness, you might discover the sheer joy at the very core.
Those of you who have watched the Hindi movie, "Yeh Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" have seen three friends trying to come to terms with themselves by shedding all inner inhibitions. They enthusiastically participate in the festival of tomatoes in Spain, and feel redeemed.
Finally, playing Holi also presents the opportunity to rekindle old, lost or troubled relationships, to renew friendship and love, and to shake ourselves from the 'structured existence' that we all seem to get used to. It's a chance to break free.
The English daily Times of India has an interesting story today (here is the link: Times of India link) on how long-ostracized widows socially condemned to wear only white and shun colours of any kind, revelled in the colours of Holi by snubbing tradition.
Let us see this festival as a day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair ruptured relationships.
HAPPY HOLI!
The festival has, in recent times, spread to parts of Europe and North America as a spring celebration of love, frolic and colour.
I have, in my previous posts, given examples of many ways in which we can adopt the posture of submission, reduce the resistance within, and thereby make a paradigm shift in our lives towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. Much the same way, we can try and give up the resistance within and take the plunge into coloured waters this Holi.
One interesting aspect of many religious festivals is that they are increasingly seen as social, joyful events in which members of any religious belief can participate. The extent of religious devotion is a personal choice. The overtly inviting stance where all can participate in the celebrations and fun is deeply cherished at the social level too. This is true of festivals like Christmas, Diwali (festival of lights), Holi, Durga Puja (fight of good over evil), the Iftar parties in the run up to the Eid festival and many more the world over.
Holi is round the corner, to be celebrated on the 17th of March. I have enjoyed playing with colours since childhood. I also have memories of certain ugly things that happen during Holi - hooliganism, a license to indulge in misbehaviour for some, and a general menace for many. Whatever I say here, is with this caveat: carefully choose the company you are going to keep while enjoying Holi.
For the uninitiated, traditionally, Holi is played by smearing colours (both dry and water based) on each other from morning to noon. People are often drenched in coloured water. In short, you can indulge in a lot of fun and frolic by letting your hair down. Unfortunately, the coloured water used can also have menacing variations like the use of chemicals that can be very difficult to wash off from your skin or the more dangerous ones that cause allergic reactions. Once again, if you are sure of your company, you can protect yourself from such risks.
Completely understanding all those who are against playing with colours, and without prejudice to their right to abstain from it, I still have a suggestion to make: please do consider, what within you prevents you from enjoying a simple festival of colours. Is it that old culprit, EGO, once again?
There is a reason why I suspect that this might be the case at times. For instance, I have seen grown-ups getting cross and irritated when little kids try to play Holi with them!
Come on, what do you think is going to happen to you? A bit of colour smeared on your face, some wet clothes, that's all. What is the big fuss about?
And you lose a big opportunity to submit yourself, just give up, and allow yourself to just be. As I keep writing, surrender is that big step necessary to move into your journey towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. Instead of waiting for that opportune moment when you take the giant step by adopting a posture of surrender, why not take up the numerous small opportunities that come in life?
It is interesting to note that there are similar festivals across the globe that give us that opportunity to give up and surrender. La Tomatina is a festival that is held in the Valencian town of Buñol, Spain, in which participants throw tomatoes and get involved in this tomato fight purely for fun. It is held on the last Wednesday of August, during the week of festivities of Buñol. This festival is about as messy as Holi. Once you submit yourself to the discomfort of this messiness, you might discover the sheer joy at the very core.
Those of you who have watched the Hindi movie, "Yeh Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" have seen three friends trying to come to terms with themselves by shedding all inner inhibitions. They enthusiastically participate in the festival of tomatoes in Spain, and feel redeemed.
Finally, playing Holi also presents the opportunity to rekindle old, lost or troubled relationships, to renew friendship and love, and to shake ourselves from the 'structured existence' that we all seem to get used to. It's a chance to break free.
The English daily Times of India has an interesting story today (here is the link: Times of India link) on how long-ostracized widows socially condemned to wear only white and shun colours of any kind, revelled in the colours of Holi by snubbing tradition.
HAPPY HOLI!
Deepak Chatterjee
chatterjee.deepak33@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/deepak.chatterjee.944
@Deepak33C
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A very well written and highly informative post. Incidentally I have also posted today a very short write-up on Holi which you may see on my blog or Facebook. Happy Holi.
ReplyDeleteThanks. :) Yes, I read your blog post and left comments on Speaking Tree.
DeleteVery rightly put. Is it the ego that comes in the way of celebrating Holi? It is indeed a surrender of the self to gay abandon. Allowing people to see the true you who otherwise keeps a veneer of good behavior. I always thought that playing Holi was resisted because of the boisterousness, the fear of getting drenched. I like this angle of resistance to surrender.
ReplyDelete