Holi

This is probably my fourth Holi in Hyderabad but never before did I realize that this festival celebrated primarily in north India would reach a new high in the narrow bylanes of the old city. The experience we had today in the city was no less than incredible. We started off with the same street where we left yesterday. Today, we were not late. Prabhat pheri or the morning procession was on...there would be around 400 odd people, both men and women, mostly adults in colorful attire on the streets, singing and chanting in unison. The procession stopped briefly at the gates of one of the temples and the singing became louder, this time accompanied by people clapping in rhythm. We followed the crowd closely, carefully mixing with yet trying to be aloof. The crowd, after doing its rounds, came to a final halt in font of another temple. "jheeni jheeni ude re gulaal...kanhaiyya tere mandir mein..." - went the crowd, singing one folk song after the other, suited to the occasion. I was so overwhelmed by the entire setting that it was difficult for me to decide - whether to shoot or to join the crowd. I did both - intermittently. The most famous Holi is celebrated in Barsana, Mathura in North India. I wont be surprised if what I witnessed today comes a close second.

Some hot and crispy jalebi with a glass full of bhang thandai and we were ready to explore the other parts of the city. Narrow bylanes always have hidden secrets and stories and the lanes we took today were no exception. The green and blue walls on either side of the alley were slowly moving towards each other with distance, till it became too narrow for three men to stand next to each other and not touch the walls. And then when we thought that the walls will squeeze us to death, they suddenly opened up into an entirely different wonderland of colorful windows and walls, floors and houses painted crimson by the Holi colors and unmindful children running amuck. It was a street photographer's paradise. There are a lot of myths and stories about the old city and people generally are apprehensive about treading into these narrow alleys (which look like they have no exit). Time and again I've been told (read warned) about going too deep into these...and every repeated warning had tickled my curiosity even more. We found the people most friendly and approachable. I cannot imagine anyone in 'our' part of the city to invite two complete strangers inside their home and let us mix with and take pictures of the family. Something interesting about that alley was it smells of country liquor. Some of the houses there have a local distillery setup in their porch where they brew country liquor (which I am sure is not legal) for their living. One such man took us inside his house and showed us his 'setup' - a black drum with some aluminum vessels on top, sitting on fire. His daughter was pouring some liquid inside the drum and clearing out the 'waste'. He said that his partially supports his family and his elder son - who's studying engineering in one of the colleges in Hyderabad. It took a while for me to digest that I standing at an illegal setup (probably a crime scene). He asked us to take a few pictures of his 'distillery' and send it to him later on. No, we didn't dare to taste the freshly brewed alcohol :)

One has to dare to cross the boundary (which probably doesn't exist) to find bizarre stories like this. Having company alongside is good. It helps to have someone who has a taste for adventure...who is eager to explore without inhibitions, free from prejudice and bias.

This has to be the best Holi I've had till date and shame that it took me 4 years to discover the Holi the way it is celebrated in Hyderabad.


BIG