Tag: Holi

Those who have not seen Holi of Braj have not seen India

Holi, the festival of colours, is played in most of India for one day ( this year it will be on 25th March ).
Holi
But in Braj Mandal ( the area around Mathura city ( comprising of Mathura, Gokul, Vrindavan, Govardhan, Barsana, Nandgaon, etc ) ) it is played for one full week, commencing from Holi Day.

I believe that one who has not seen Braj ki Holi has not seen India
Braj ki Holi: Those who have not seen it, have not seen India
https://indicanews.com/justice-katju-those-who-have-not-seen-brij-ki-holi-have-not-seen-india/
Throughout the week, commencing from Holi day, Braj Mandal is full of colours everywhere. Skits are performed in several places showing Lord Krishna’s life and ‘raas leela’ i.e. dalliance with the gopis ( girls ) of Vrindavan, and especially with his beloved Radha.

On the first day of the week, i.e. Holi day ( which will be this year tomorrow, 25th March ) there will be ‘lathmaar Holi’ at Barsaana, a place about 40 kms from Mathura city. There is a famous Radha temple in Barsaana on a small hill, which I have visited. There women of 80, girls of 5, and females of all ages in between, can be seen dancing all the time.
In Barsaana people do not say ‘Jai Shri Krishna’ as is said elsewhere, but ‘Radhe Radhe’. That is because they believe that Krishna deserted them when he was attacked by Jarasandh and fled to Dwarka in Gujarat, but Radha remained with them.
On this day boys of Nandgaon, which is about 7-8 kms from Barsaana ( and where it is believed Krishna had spent part of his childhood ) march all the way to Barsaana, where the womenfolk beat the former on their heads ( probably symbolising their anger at Krishna who had deserted their Radha ). The boys have to wear protective headgear, else they may be seriously injured, so fierce is the beating.

The last day of the Holi week in Braj is ‘Dauji ka Huranga’. Dauji is Balaram, the elder brother of Lord Krishna, and there is his temple situated about 30 kms from Mathura where this event takes place. There is a square courtyard there surrounded by buildings, filled with 1 or 2 feet coloured water. On this occasion the womenfolk tear off the upper garments of the menfolk there, dip them in the coloured water, and then beat the menfolk with those torn clothes ( probably symbolising getting back at the ill treatment they got from their menfolk for 364 days in the year ). In the meantime colour is flying around everywhere in the air.

I have appealed to Pakistanis and Bangladeshis to also play Holi
Justice Katju Urges Joint Holi Celebrations in Pakistan and Bangladesh
For seeing more videos of Brij ki Holi, Lathmaar Holi, Dauji ka Huranga, etc see on youtube

March 24, 2024
Justice Katju Urges Joint Holi Celebrations in Pakistan and Bangladesh

Holi, the festival of colour, is falling on 25th March this year. I appeal to Pakistanis and Bangladeshis of all communities to celebrate it together.
Before 1857 Hindus would participate in Eid and Muharram, and Muslims in Holi and Diwali together, and there was no communal feeling among them. There were no communal riots or animosity till that time.
In 1857 the Great Mutiny broke out, in which Hindus and Muslims jointly fought against the British. After suppressing the Mutiny the British decided that the only way to control and rule over India was divide and rule, that is, create animosity between Hindus and Muslims.
I may here give a historical account of an incident which occurred before 1857
Inn the reign of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Avadh, the capital of which was Lucknow, Muharram and Holi once fell on the same day. Muharram is an occasion of ghami or sorrow (for Imam Husain, grandson of the Prophet and his 72 followers who were killed in the battle of Karbala by the forces of the tyrant Yazid) while Holi is an occasion of celebration (the festival of colours, marking the beginning of spring).
The Hindus of Lucknow decided not to celebrate Holi that year out of respect for the sentiments of their Muslim brothers and sisters, who were in grief.
The Nawab took out the tazia from the Bada Imambada in Lucknow in a procession and buried it in Karbala, a site in Lucknow with the same name as the place where Imam Husain was martyred. Having done so, he asked why people were not playing Holi. After being told the reason, the Nawab said that since our Hindu brethren have respected the sentiments of Muslims, it is also the duty of the Muslims to respect the sentiments of Hindus, and declared that Holi must be played the same day. And he was the first to start playing Holi and it was played all over Avadh by both Hindus and Muslims, although it was also Muharram.
The Moghuls and other Muslim rulers and their subjects ( including Muslims ) would celebrate and play Holi with great gusto. There are many accounts and paintings to prove this, as given below.
https://www.awazthevoice.in/culture-news/mughals-nawabas-turned-holi-into-state-festival-10495.html

http://scroll.in/article/800900/in-mughal-india-holi-was-celebrated-with-the-same-pomp-as-eid
https://sabrangindia.in/article/colourful-history-holi-and-islam/
Muslims and Festival of Colours, Holi
http://scroll.in/article/711675/these-miniature-paintings-show-how-the-mughals-and-other-indians-royals-celebrated-holi
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/phoolon-wali-holi-during-qutub-shahi-era-reflects-ganga-jamuni-tehzeeb/articleshow/90315654.cms
https://sabrangindia.in/article/who-says-holi-just-hindu-festival-muslim-scholars-sufi-mystics-mughal-emperors-not-speak/
https://indianexpress.com/article/research/akbars-court-to-bulleh-shah-couplets-colours-of-indias-many-religions-blended-over-holi-7823260/
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/who-says-holi-is-a-hindu-festival/story-wLBl9qfCogU9rbc1Kw6EON.html
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/in-good-faith-holi-mughal-era-colours-hindu-festival-muslim-culture-5663983/
After 1857 the British, through their local agents, propagated the idea that Holi was only a Hindu festival, and it was unislamic to celebrate it, and so many Muslims stopped playing it.
It is high time now that this false propaganda be put an end to, and all people in the Indian subcontinent again start celebrating each others festivals, including Holi, which is a symbol of our composite ‘Ganga Jamuna tehzeeb’
In this connection, here is my interview by my Pakistani friend, Sajjad Azhar Pirzada, a journalist based in Lahore, on Holi

Here is a beautiful poem on Holi by the great Urdu poet, Nazir Akbaradi

And here are some Pakistani youth, both Hindu and Muslim, celebrating Holi

I was pained to learn that a few years back the Pakistan Higher Education Commission banned Holi celebrations in Universities, calling them ‘Unislamic’, when students of Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad ( both Hindus and Mulims ) celebrated it.

I appeal to Pakistani ( and Bangladeshi ) youth, particularly Muslims, to defy such a silly ban if it is again imposed this year, and jointly celebrate Holi this year with their Hindu brothers and sisters, with great enthusiasm, fervour and verve, and thus give a blow to religious bigotry, which is plaguing our sub continent.

March 23, 2024
‘You played Holi with Pulwama martyrs..’: Owaisi lashes at Satya Pal Malik

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The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi took a dig at the former governor of Jammu & Kashmir Satya Pal Malik over his silence on the 2019 Pulwama attack-related security lapses during his tenure in the Union Territory (UT). Malik has recently alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him to ‘stay quiet’ and used it while campaigning for the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign.
सत्यपाल मालिक जी! भारत से ये तुम्हारी कैसी मोहब्बत है? राज्यपाल की कुर्सी बचाने के लिए भारत के शहीदों के खून से होली खेले। – Barrister @asadowaisi pic.twitter.com/lsbUqQuqvJ
— AIMIM (@aimim_national) April 26, 2023
In a video clip shared by AIMIM on their official Twitter handle, Owaisi remarked that Malik stayed silent to save his job. “What kind of love do you have for India Satya Pal Malik? To save your position, you played Holi (Hindu festival of colours) with the blood of our martyrs,” Owaisi said.
In 2019, 40 CRPF soldiers lost their lives at Lethapora, Pulwama district when their convoy was hit by a vehicle filled with explosives. It was a suicide attack. Thirty-five soldiers were reportedly injured.

Attacking Malik, Owaisi claimed that the former J&K governor had failed in his duties and is now acting ‘truthful’ for political gains.
“You should have come out and revealed the truth soon after the attack took place. But you did not utter a single word because you were in love with your position,” Owaisi alleged.
Owaisi further alleged that Malik’s silence spoke volumes about how much the latter wanted Narendra Modi to come back to power in 2019. “When the Pulwama attack happened, the entire country condemned the attack including me. But you chose to remain quiet. Where did your so-called patriotism go then? You did not speak the truth at that time because you wanted Modi to win the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
In an explosive interview with The Wire, Satya Pal Malik made allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi knew about the security lapses in Pulwama attack but asked him to stay quiet. Malik also that Modi did not care about the state of corruption in the country. “Mein safely keh sakta hoon Prime Minister ko corruption se bahut nafrat nahin hain” (‘I can safely say the PM has no real problem with corruption’),” he told senior journalist Karan Thapar.
His interview created strong reactions from Opposition parties and activists.

Soon after the interview, Malik was summoned by the CBI for an alleged insurance scam. While many believed these were the aftershocks created by the interview, Union Home Minister Amit Shah maintained that there was no relation of the summons and Malik’s allegations against the BJP-led government.
“According to my information, he (Malik) has been called a second or third time. An investigation is underway, some new information or proof must have come to light and he has been called for the third time. There is no truth in this that he has been called for speaking against us,” Shah said at the recently concluded Karnataka Roundtable organised by India Today.
“Why is not the soul awoken when you are in power…the credibility of such remarks should be seen by people, journalists…if all this is true, why was he quiet when he was Governor..these are not issues of public discussion. I want to say to the people of the country that the BJP-led government hasn’t done any such thing which needs to be hidden. If some remarks are made for personal, political self-interest after leaving us, those should be evaluated by the people, media…,” Amit Shah had said.

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#played #Holi #Pulwama #martyrs. #Owaisi #lashes #Satya #Pal #Malik
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 27, 2023
Video: Zomato delivery boy assaulted on Holi in Nanded; four booked

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Days after the assault of a Zomato delivery boy on the occasion of the Holi festival in Nanded, Maharashtra, police came into action and booked a case against four persons after a video of the incident went viral on social media.
In the video which is making rounds on social media, the youth who is identified as Amran Tamboli, a law student can be seen checking his cell phone when a group of accused persons started assaulting him on February 7.
The attackers assaulted him, kicked him, and attacked him with a wooden log. The incident took place when he delivered an order and was checking another order on his cellphone.
Though, after the assault, the Zomato delivery boy lodged a complaint at a local police station, it is alleged that no action was taken until the video of the incident went viral on social media.
Tamboli, a first-year student of law course and the eldest son of a farmer, who took up the Zomato delivery job to financially support his education also alleged that the accused persons returned with colour and applied it on his beard and put tilak on his forehead.
Police started investigation and arrested one of the accused persons. Attempts are being made to arrest others.
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#Video #Zomato #delivery #boy #assaulted #Holi #Nanded #booked
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 13, 2023
Three held by Delhi Police for harassing, groping Japanese woman on Holi

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Delhi: Three persons, including a juvenile, were apprehended after a video surfaced on social media showing a group of men allegedly harassing and groping a Japanese woman on Holi, police said on Saturday.
The video showed a group of men smearing colour on a foreigner, who seemed uncomfortable. It also showed one of the men smashing an egg on her head. She can be heard saying “bye bye” in the video.
According to the police, the video is of Holi (celebrated on March 8) and was shot an area of Paharganj here.
The girl in the video is a Japanese tourist who was staying at Paharganj and departed to Bangladesh on Friday, they added.
The girl has not made any complaint, neither called Delhi Police nor her country’s embassy as confirmed by the embassy official in response to an e-mail, a senior police officer said.
Police on Friday had said they have taken the notice of the video and were verifying whether it is of a recent incident or an old one.
People seen in the video have been identified. Three persons, including one juvenile, have been apprehended and questioned. They have confessed their involvement in the incident as seen in the video. They all are residents of a nearby area of Paharganj, Deputy Commissioner of Police (central) Sanjay Kumar Sain said.
The girl tweeted from her Twitter handle that she has reached Bangladesh and was fit mentally and physically.

Police said action has been initiated against the accused under the Delhi Police Act. However, further legal action will be decided on merits and in accordance with the complaint by the girl, if any, they added.
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal had said she was issuing a notice to Delhi Police to examine the video and arrest the perpetrators.
“Very disturbing videos getting viral on social media showing sexual harassment with foreign nationals on Holi! I am issuing notice to Delhi Police to examine these videos and arrest the perpetrators! Completely shameful behaviour!” Maliwal tweeted on Friday.
The National Commission for Women too took the notice of the video and asked Delhi Police to register an FIR in the matter.
“@NCWIndia has taken cognizance. Chairperson @sharmarekha has written to @CPDelhi to immediately file FIR in the matter. NCW has also sought a fair and time-bound investigation in the matter. A detailed report must be apprised to the commission,” the NCW tweeted.
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#held #Delhi #Police #harassing #groping #Japanese #woman #Holi
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 11, 2023
Gaya deaths: Indian Army denies any firing practice in Deuri Dumri range on Holi

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Patna: A day after three persons of a family lost their lives and two others injured in a blast in Bihar’s Gaya, the Indian Army on Thursday held that there was no firing practice session in Deuri-Dumri range in the district on the day in question.
In a statement, the army clarified that there was no mortar firing practice in Deuri-Dumri range in Gaya on the day of Holi, and it will cooperate with the investigating agencies. It has also expressed deep condolences to the family members of those who lost their loved ones in the Wednesday accident.
The villagers of Guler Bind claimed that there was firing practice in the Deuri-Dumri range and one shell fell in the adjoining village and exploded. Due to the explosion, three persons lost their lives and two others were seriously injured in this incident.
As per the army statement, whenever a firing session was to be held in the range, the local range officer takes prior permission from the district administration and alerts the villagers residing in the surroundings of the range. As there was no firing practice scheduled on March 8, the local army official did not take permission from the district administration.
The statement further said that there is a suspicion of blind mortar shells were accumulated at the place for trading and termed it a wrong and dangerous practice. There is also a possibility that a mortar shell fell earlier and was found by anyone leading to an explosion on March 8, it added.
The villagers have shown the round circle pit having the size of mortar shell but if a mortar shell explodes, it does not leave such a signature on the soil, it said.
Terming the incident “unfortunate”, the army has expressed deep sorrow and condolences to the family members of the victims and said that it is ready to help the district administration as well as the villagers.

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#Gaya #deaths #Indian #Army #denies #firing #practice #Deuri #Dumri #range #Holi
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 9, 2023
UP: Man suffers heart attack while dancing on Holi, dies

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Ghaziabad: A 30-year-old man died of a heart attack while dancing to DJ music in Laxmi Nagar Colony of Modinagar.
The deceased has been identified as Vineet Kumar, who worked as a photographer and was the sole breadwinner of his family.
According to sources, Kumar felt pain in his head and chest and fell to the ground after dancing for around ten minutes, during Holi celebrations in the colony on Wednesday.
Others dancing there did not realise that Kumar had fallen down for quite some time. When seen, he was rushed to a local hospital where he was declared brought dead.
Doctors said that Kumar had died due to a heart attack.
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#Man #suffers #heart #attack #dancing #Holi #dies

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 9, 2023
Twitterati slams Bharat Matrimony over new Holi video ad

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New Delhi: Bharat Matrimony’s latest video commercial on the occasion of Holi has sparked debate, with several people accusing the matrimonial website for hurting their religious sentiments.
The video released on March 8, also marked as International Women’s Day, shows how harassment faced by women during Holi leads to trauma and stops them from celebrating the festival of colours.
Bharat Matrimony tweeted the 75-second clip video with the caption: “This Women’s Day and Holi, let’s celebrate by creating safer and more inclusive spaces for women. It’s important to acknowledge the challenges that women face in public spaces and create a society that truly respects their well-being – today and forever.”
This Women’s Day & Holi, let’s celebrate by creating safer and more inclusive spaces for women. It’s important to acknowledge the challenges that women face in public spaces and create a society that truly respects their well-being – today & forever.#BharatMatrimony #BeChoosy pic.twitter.com/9bqIXZqaXu
— Bharatmatrimony.com (@bharatmatrimony) March 8, 2023
The video shows a woman with her face covered in different colours, who washes her face to get rid of the Holi colours.
Underneath her colourful face are shown bruises. And the captions reads: “Some colours don’t wash away easy.”
“A third of women who’ve faced this trauma, have stopped playing Holi.”
Twitter users called out against the matrimonial website for hurting religious sentiments, and linking a festival with an important issue.
“You guys are absolutely disgusting. How dare you link a social message with the Hindu festival of Holi,” wrote a user.

You guys are absolutely disgusting. How dare you link a social message with the Hindu festival of Holi. What has domestic abuse got to do with Holi?Have u lost your mind? You obviously don’t want Hindu customers. btw, u should focus on what happens on your awful site.
— Priya Rana (@PriyaKumariRana) March 8, 2023
“It’s disappointing to see that you’re equating our festivals with harassment. Let’s celebrate diversity and respect each other’s culture and faith. Let’s spread love, not hate,” wrote another.
“#BoycottBharatMatrimony Shame on @bharatmatrimony for using a Hindu festival like #Holi to run their social awareness agenda,” another user tweeted.
It’s disappointing to see that you’re equating our festivals with harassment.
Let’s celebrate diversity and respect each other’s culture and faith. Let’s spread love, not hate. #StopHate #RespectCulture 🇮🇳
— Abhinav Khare (@iabhinavKhare) March 8, 2023
Even as the video soon became viral and triggered a massive outcry, some also came in support of the ad.
“This is indeed very brave of @bharatmatrimony. Festivals cannot and should not be a traumatic experience. Respect and Consent is vital and what better than the #WomensDay to send this message out to all those men who abuse, harm and disrespect women,” tweeted one user.
“Some people are very angry on this video. But thanks to @bharatmatrimony for raising this sensitive topic. Illiterate people can neither understand nor want to understand,” tweeted another.
A day earlier online food delivery app Swiggy was also called out by netizens over a billboard ad for Instamart.
The billboard features eggs and reads, “Omelette; Sunny side-up; Kisi ke sarr par. #BuraMatKhelo. Get Holi essentials on Instamart.”

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#Twitterati #slams #Bharat #Matrimony #Holi #video
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 9, 2023
Satish Kaushik’s last social media post is from Javed Akhtar’s Holi party

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Mumbai: Bollywood actor-director Satish Kaushik, who passed away aged 67 late on Wednesday, had attended a Holi party hosted by Javed Akhtar and his wife-actor Shabana Azmi at their home in Mumbai.
On Tuesday, Satish Kaushik had shared a series of pictures on Instagram as he celebrated the occasion with his friends from the Hindi film industry. In the pictures, the actor is posed with Ali Fazal, Richa Chadha and Javed Akhtar. He was seen posing for the pictures in an orange coloured T-shirt and white pants.
He captioned the image: “Colourful Happy Fun Holi party at Janki Kutir Juhu by @jaduakhtar @babaazmi @azmishabana18 @tanviazmiofficial.. met the newly wed beautiful couple @alifazal9 @therichachadha @mahimachaudhry1 wishing Happy Holi to everyone #friendship #festival #colours #swipe left.”
According to reports, the actor, who has given memorable characters such as ‘Calendar’ from ‘Mr. India’, ‘Pappu Pager’ in ‘Deewana Mastana’ among many others, died due to heart attack.
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#Satish #Kaushiks #social #media #post #Javed #Akhtars #Holi #party
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 9, 2023
Man beaten to death in south Delhi on Holi

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New Delhi: A 32-year-old man was beaten to death following a fight in south Delhi’s Mehrauli area on Wednesday, police said.
After getting information about the incident, the police reached the spot and found Brajesh Kumar, a native of Khagriya in Bihar, dead. The deceased had injury marks on his head, a senior police officer said.
Probe revealed that a person named Siddharth, who was known to Brijesh, had gone to buy shampoo at a nearby shop and had some altercation with a person there, police said.
When Siddarth returned, the person whom he had a fight with, also followed him with some of his associates and engaged in a fight with Brijesh, Siddarth and another person named Shubham. During the fight, the assailants hit Brijesh on his head with an iron rod, the officer said.
He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. Legal action is being taken and all accused have been apprehended, police added.
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#Man #beaten #death #south #Delhi #Holi

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 8, 2023