Holi is often associated with colours, delicious food, and merrymaking. Streets and households across India bustle with excitement as people prepare for the day ahead, and the whole country turns into a carnival. Historically, the festival signifies the victory of good over evil and finds mention in Hindu scriptures.
India marks Holi as a festival for the onset of spring season and celebrates it with different names and rituals. In Punjab, the festival is celebrated by displaying martial arts; in Uttarakhand, women dress in traditional dress and sing folk songs in streets; in West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura, Holi is celebrated as Basant Utsav with processions of Radha and Krishna, among others.
Despite the cultural diversity, and the many ways the festival is celebrated, the phrase “Bura na maano, Holi hai” is recurring. This translates to “Don’t be offended, it’s Holi” – a sentiment marred by instances of fear and discomfort, particularly for women. Over the years, numerous women have come forward with reports of being groped and sexually harassed by men during the festival.
In 2023, a seven-year-old was raped and her friend was injured in Bihar during Holi. Similarly, in 2021, UP police arrested a man for raping a Dalit girl in a factory on Holi. In the same year, two minor girls in Tripura were gang-raped by eight youths when they went out to celebrate the festival. Reports of extreme violence, and recurring instances of sexual harassment, make women wary of the festival.
Martha Farrell Foundation asked women from different age-groups about how safe they feel in Holi and to share their experiences of facing harassment during the festival. “It is the worst festival for me,” says Sita Devi*, a domestic worker associated with The Foundation. “It instils so much fear among women because they never know when they can be harassed.”
Many said that they fear men around on the day when the festival is celebrated. “I love to play Holi whenever I am with my female friends. If the boys from our area come to play with us, we get very uncomfortable. They misbehave with us,” said Ritu*, an adolescent girl from Mukherjee Nagar.
A recurring issue raised by women during Holi was the deliberate targeting by men who throw water balloons at private body parts of women. “We are scared of stepping out because the men are always harassing,” many of them said. “Some of us lock ourselves in our houses.”
For Ritu, a woman in her 40s who works as a domestic help, the festival brings not only discomfort and fear, but loss of wages as well. She has to work on Holi as well. “It makes my life extremely difficult. I cannot go out because people pour colours on me. The employer gets angry at me and it threatens my job. I am afraid I will lose my wages for the day,” she said.
Multiple women shared instances of extreme violence. For instance, a woman recalled an incident where a group of men tore her friend’s clothes apart. The incident traumatised her. “I get triggered whenever I see a group of men approaching me during Holi,” she said.
Several women said that the festival of Holi is meant only for men as they have the freedom to go out of houses. “Even if we go out, we are not free and always scared,” Jyoti* said. The popular practice of consuming alcohol and bhang invariably increases the chances of women facing harassment, the women said.
For instance, a woman shared that a group of young men threw her husband on the highway, pointing at the extreme of violence men go to when they are intoxicated during the festival. “Ever since, I ask my family to celebrate the festival in the house,” she said.
The Foundation also asked men in many areas of Delhi about how safe they feel during the festival. Majority of the respondents who shared that they feel safe during the festival come from Hindu backgrounds. Men belonging to religious minorities, however, said that they fear bullying or being coerced into playing with colours.
“We stay indoors in Delhi because colours will be thrown on us if we go out, even if we refuse this,” said Faraz*, a resident of Gurugram. There have been instances of communal clashes during the Holi festival. In 2019, communal tensions prevailed in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh when youths from the Hindu community threw colours on a Muslim boy returning from namaz, an Islamic prayer.
However, the violence is not limited to clashes between two different communities. Reportedly, there have been instances of violence and harassment among men within the Hindu community.
The festival, which should be celebrated as a festival of colour and happiness, is often reduced to hooliganism, rowdy youths in the streets, and violence, alienating and compromising the safety of people, especially women.
As we celebrate Holi this year, how can we ensure that everyone, especially women, feels safe and respected during the festival? How can we foster a culture of consent and respect for boundaries during the celebrations? How can communities unite to create a more inclusive and enjoyable Holi experience for all, free from fear and intimidation?
*Names changed to protect identity
