Photo Story: A Glimpse Of Holi In Vrindavan And Mathura

Take a visual tour of the colourful festival of Holi as it is celebrated in all its glory in the ancient cities of Mathura and Vrindavan.

Photo Story: A Glimpse Of Holi In Vrindavan And Mathura

[dropcap size=small]A[/dropcap]s a kid I never enjoyed playing holi. All these years my reflexes helped me sneak away from dry and wet colors thrown at me. My parents were well versed with their job of denying my presence at home whenever any of my color-drenched friends holding packets of Gulaal came to visit me on a Holi morning while I used to peek from the corner of my room’s window waiting for my friends to go away.

So why now? Why I am so excited to be among the group of people throwing colors at each other?

‘Old habits die hard’. My habit of not playing with colors is not dead. It’s just that my new hobby of photography were born.

I came across different photo stories and articles by photographers around the world. There was this perspective which I had never considered before in my life. And at this Eureka moment, I asked myself, ‘Why can’t I capture what I have been running away from all these years of my life?’

I can at least create a photo story and a memory of the Holi celebrations, even if I choose not to be a part of it.

So after months of planning I finally decided to move my limbs and travel to Mathura and Vrindavan to celebrate the festival of colors – Holi!

The outstanding scenes I came across, I am glad to share them with you.

A temple priest bathed in red gulaal takes time out to pose for the camera.
A temple priest bathed in red gulaal takes time out to pose for the camera.
An elderly Indian lady playing Holi in the Sri Sri Radha Govinda temple.
People asking the head priest to throw gulaal on them. This is seen as a means of getting Lord Krishna’s blessings.
This street hawker was selling packets of gulaal as his headphones kept the music on.
A boy shopping in the main market of the town with gulaal stains on the cheeks.
A three wheeled tuk-tuk (auto rickshaw) covered in red gulaal ferrying people within the city.
A Sadhu soaking in the sun after a gulaal session.
A Krishna devotee walks in the temple area covered with wet gulaal.
Covered in wet and dry gulaal, rubbing his eyes.
A priest at the Sri Banke Bihari temple throwing gulaal at the devotees.
During this festival, one can see the walls, streets and houses covered in color for days.

 

Photographers from around the world gather in Vrindavan to capture this carnival of colours

 

Rohit Sharma is a photographer based in Mumbai. He can be reached on +919167015654 or on email: rohit.pixel@gmail.com, Facebook and Twitter.

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