The widows of Vrindavan
Holi - the festival of colors - is the most fun-filled, boisterous Hindu festival. It's an occasion celebrated since ancient times, bringing unadulterated joy and mirth, fun and play, music and dance, and, of course, lots of bright colors!
But for many widows in India, it's a different story. I understand from conversations with Indians that widows used to throw themselves on the funeral pyres of their husbands. Mercifully they no longer do that, but life for them can still be hard. In some parts of India, widows are sent away by their deceased husbands' families who want to prevent them from inheriting money or property. They are left alone in the world, and prohibited from celebrating festivals or wearing anything besides their white saris.
Nobody can quite explain why there is a concentration of widows living in Vrindavan, a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh. Thousands migrate here, especially from Bengal.
On Monday, March 21st 2016, these widows participated in Holi celebrations at the ancient Gopinath temple, dedicated to Lord Krishna. It was their first known participation in Holi celebrations.
They were joined by widows from Varanasi along with students and journalists from all over the country that came to capture and celebrate the moment. A total of 1,200 kg "gulal" (red powder) along with other colored powders and 1,500 kg of rose and marigold petals were used in this historic event. It was a small step towards greater inclusion, and the widows were ecstatic.
I was fortunate to participate in this amazing event. I tried to capture the emotions, the bright colors on the white saris, the joy of the widows, the confusion, the happiness of others -
a melding of incredible India!
