Bringing Color to the Widows of Vrindavan

Holi is a festival of colors celebrated in India. During the celebrations, followers of Hinduism shower colored powders on each other as a mark to bring peace and tranquility.

The festival became even more cheerful on March 9 in the narrow lanes of Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, where thousands of widows smeared colors on each other. These widows have been abandoned by their families and have traveled from across the country to stay in the blessings of Lord Krishna. Vrindavan is the revered city of Hindus, where Lord Krishna spent his childhood.

According to tradition, it’s forbidden for a widow to celebrate Holi or even wear colored clothing throughout the year. The special Holi festival last week has been organized every year in Vrindavan for the last few years to break these social shackles.

Celebrations start early, almost a week before Holi proper, in Vrindavan. A huge gathering of widows came to celebrate the festival in Gopinath Temple. These widows, wearing their traditional while saris, were seen smearing colors on each other.

The festival started with the Phoolon wali Holi (Holi of Flowers). All the widows were seen singing bajans, religious songs, and dancing like the Radhas of Lord Krishna.

After the Holi of Flowers, the atmosphere was filled with gulal, colored powered in different shades. In moments, not only widows but all present were totally deep in the majestic fervor of the festival. More than 1,500 kilograms of gulal and flower petals were arranged for the huge celebration.

The initiative was undertaken by the well-known social reformer and mentor of the Sulabh Movement, Dr. Bindshwar Pathak, who has been taking a keen interest in the welfare of widows and development.

Tehreem Fatima is a Delhi-based freelance photojournalist. She completed her post-graduate diploma in Still Photography and Visual Communication from AJK MCRC, Jamia Milia Islamia.