The Most Wholesome Festival of India

The Most Wholesome Festival of India 355/23

Let me make my opinion clear upfront : India is a highly unsafe country specially for women. No matter who wants to argue against this, they can. It will not change my opinion simply because of my lived experience.

The rowdiness and aggression of Indian Population comes out with much vigor when our country gives the license to celebrate local festivals in a community, specially Hindus. I have never felt as disgusted in my own country as I do during any major Hindu festival. But living in India has taught us all to outgrow shame and move on like nothing has happened. So we all keep piling our shit under that overstretched carpet and keep moving on. This is our biggest paradox because we are also people who know how to break through shackles of generational traumas and have also come a long way.

However, nothing is black and white and taking that thought forward I got the immense pleasure of experiencing a festival that actually brought joy, gratefulness and above all it brought safety to me and to most around me.

Those three days of Holi In Sangla was a dream I might have seen many moons ago, but never thought it could be a reality, and at the same time it was so much more than something I could have ever dream of. It was a reality that showed me the true compassion of Pahadi folks. Folks I have come to call my own over the past few years, who made me super proud this Holi and here is why.

Safety — No women was unnecessary painted under the guise of the spirit of Holi. They were asked, and only after receiving consent, colors were applied ever so gently on their faces, while being greeted with the biggest and oddest smile only Pahadi folks can pull off. However the boys in our group complained that no one put colors on them at all :) So there you go. Sure there are some biases always present in all life circumstances, aren’t there?

Hospitality- Every local of Sangla guided any tourist to spots where they can get food, where they can play Holi and also openly shared tons of knowledge about their culture. Not only that, holi players were given badam, walnuts, local wine, local food and anything they needed with love and appreciation. A local standing next to me on the last day of the last ritual told me ever so sweetly about what the pandit was saying and then asked me to pray for anything I wanted, because it could come true :)

Environment — Holi in Sangla was also being called Holi trek because that is what we did. We hiked across a span of almost 15kms to multiple villages, crossing rivers, forests, snow patches and fields on our way. We discovered the whole landscape as we painted them in multiple colors. Every village also had organized food for the incoming Holi crowd while serving them generously. Plus local boys guided a crowd of 1000+ people safely through treacherous terrains while even building hand bridges at times when required. Oh, what a feat!

Cleanliness- In Sangla, there do not play ‘wet’ holi. Dry skin friendly colors are used by everyone and while the streets gets colored orange and blue, there is no unnecessary trash or mud piles anywhere and no one falls sick due to uncalled-attacks. Plus we sat and ate on grounds and fields which were all cleaned by the locals within 30 minutes of the huge crowd leaving it. You had to be there to believe the efficiency and dedication which the entire local community showed towards keeping everything natural and healthy. I personally found so much to learn and this attitude was refreshing! Basically no ‘aag lage basti mein hum hamaari masti mein’

Thank god!

Happiness- To go to such places with a group of loved ones is ofcourse the experience of a lifetime but to go to such an event alone didnt seem to very lonely either. Everyone had everyone’s back, and all these factors I mentioned above contributed to building a strong and positive community experience. People were giving each other hands and even kids were helping adults cross some of the slippery slopes. There is nothing happier than having a friendly hand when in need, is there?

Overall Sangla Holi was nothing like what I could have imagined in my wildest of dreams and yet it was so much like everything I ever wanted out of celebrating a festival in India in the most fun way possible. The biggest plus was of course the gorgeous mountains, the blue river and the unfiltered nature that surrounded us, giving everyone the chance for a having the best road trip of their life.

Even after going through some of the most sensitive areas and roads of our country, I have to say the weather gods were kind to us. They gave us sunshine when we needed it and yet the semi cloudy day of Holi helped everyone go through the tricky terrains in the most comfortable manner. While the chants, the drums and the energy of the whole valley came together like a meditation even in the middle of chaos.

It gave me a chance to be a child again. To enjoy a festival without being too cautious or self conscious is a blessing I did not think I would get in this country and yet I was proven wrong and what a pleasure it is to be proven wrong like this :)

The only con of this whole experience was the many cameras and drones that followed us everywhere. Is it even possible to be away from cameras in 2024? I do not know man! and yet, can I recommend Sangla Holi to everyone? A 100% yes. Go see it for yourself I would say to everyone, how a community comes together to celebrate with love, devotion, culture and mythology all at once.