Sawariya Nand Kishore - Braj Ki Holi

The festival of colors, Holi is an invitation to let the color of the Divine seep into our selves, without inhibition, without resistance. Today's song celebrates this feeling of longing and surrender, of yielding to the Divine and letting Him smear you with the color of His love.

The color and joy of Holi make it such a special festival in our lives, and each of those of us who were brought up in India or in Indian milieu have a special childhood Holi memory. I remember my childhood when Holi preparations would start almost a week in advance as we would gather on the terrace with water balloons targeting one and all on the streets below. The day itself would be a riot of colours with us roaming the streets with friends, visiting homes of friends who didn't join us, and ensure they are pulled out off their clean selves to be doused in color. Holi meant leaving inhibitions, and of allowing color in our lives, otherwise marked with shades of gray.

Holi is an example where true to its form, the Indian culture keeps room for controversies and contradictions. In a way, its the Shiva or Krishna of festivals. No wonder the legend of Holi revolves around stories of Shiva and Krishna.

Apart from the popular story of Hiranyakashyapu and Prahlad, the myth around Holi are also associated with the divine love of Krishna and his consort Radhika. The story so goes that as a child, the dark skinned Krishna was very jealous of the fair complexion of Radha. So, he applied colours on her face. Probably, ever since then, this prank of Krishna and his playful leela, became the tradition of Holi where one gets the freedom to apply colours on his beloved’s face.

Another Holi legend is a fable which revolves around Lord Shiva and 'Kamadeva' (God of love viz cupid). Kaamdeva was once cursed by Shiva and was turned into ashes by the force of an angry Shiva's third eye. On the tearful requests of Kama's wife Rati, Shiva restored him, but only as a mental image, representing true love rather than physical lust. The bonfire on Holi eve is believed to celebrate this event, where people worship the bonfire to keep the influence of evils away from them.

While Holi means leaving inhibitions, Holi also keeps room (well, 'holds space'!!!) for the suggestive, the taboo, the profane. No surprise then that opportunistic Bollywood has exploited this cultural loop-hole. One of the old Bollywood numbers (O ja re hat natkhat) celebrated the mischief of Krishna (viewed strictly, Lord Krishna could face an eve-teasing charge here).

Holi is a metaphor (what isn't!?) to keep room for the multi-dimensional. To accept life as a whole, embracing its taboo-ness and smearing oneself into the nava-rasas (nine aesthetic elements)... to let the color of the Almighty seep into our selves, without inhibition, without resistance. Today's song celebrates this feeling of longing and surrender, of yielding to the Almighty and letting Him smear you with the color of His love - a 'Rasiya' to ring in this special festival.