The dynamics of Holi have changed over the past few years. It’s all about holi pictures now! When I look back, I vividly remember the time when we used to play holi just out of sheer pleasure and enjoyment. There was a sense of celebration in those days- a celebration of just losing oneself in a wide spectrum of colours.
But now, when I turn back to the present scenario, the carefree element is missing from the colour’s festival holi pictures. Recently, I witnessed this in my college itself. Rather than playing holi with the sole intention of playing, the boys and girls just put a small amount of colours on their body (face, to be precise, the cheeks). Then they give their pretty poses and dazzling smiles for their new Instagram/Facebook profile pictures and stories.
Well, isn’t it the case everywhere? Holi is no more a mad carefree festival.
It has become more of a sophisticated photo session where girls all dolled up in their most elegant clothes, smear some “gulaal” (the beauty conscious ones will especially bring organic “gulaal” for the occasion).
On the other hand, the boys try to wear as white as they can and put colours on the strategic locations of their faces and will give some elegant poses for the poor camera, duck faces one of their preference for the same for both!
Many of you might find this article a little obnoxious or negative and would be fuming in front of the screen, but I am pretty sure that somewhere you would be able to relate with all this selfie madness.
Captured by: Darpan Dodiya
I ask you, do not you guys feel tired with all this madness for just a few pictures? Pictures are supposed to capture one’s moment of happiness. But what if you are not even getting any? And this is just because you are too busy planning for life on the virtual platform that you forget about the experience which exists in the real world. When we look back at our pictures, we do not just merely look at them.
We look at the memories attached to those pictures. The memories contain our emotions that are beyond the power of words and which can be just felt. But how can you feel something when you have not even experienced it?
I truly believe that fun does not hold any definition.
Some people might find joy in getting all smeared in colours and completely drenched in water. Others might just play with “gulaal” and enjoy the delicious traditional delicacies of the festival. Everyone has their interpretation of the word “celebration.”
Captured by: Darpan Dodiya
But what I witnessed in my college life was a completely wrong interpretation of the festivity of the festival of colours. No matter what girls and boys, always, manage to find a way to show the world that ‘I can escape dirtiness and look sophisticated in the festival of colours’ as well!
It has been almost three years in Delhi University’s top college, and I have realized that students, in general, believe in maintaining themselves more than enjoying themselves.
These were my first holi experiences in college (2014), and believe me; I could not stop looking at my friends, not out admiration but out of shock! I observed the activities and that is when it dawned upon me that it is all about epic selfies.
The biggest mystery remained how on this earth nothing happened to their clothes and hair all good? I just wanted to go up to them and shout, “No! Holi is not celebrated this way.
You need to go retard, full retard!”. I saw the photos on facebook, on holi completely drenched in colors and looking almost like a porter of Hell Gate, sitting right in front of my computer not knowing whether to laugh or admire.
This is how people should enjoy Holi festival. | Captured by: Anshu A
I have one message though, friends you do not have to look runaway models every single time. For once, lose yourself in the moment rather than petty concepts like selfies. Go out and have fun, for once, stop thinking about decorating your social networking profile with happening pictures. Instead, decorate your real life with the happening experiences.
People might interpret my thought with that of disgust but this article is all about how I, who does not even know how to dress up appropriately, perceive things.
This article is not a result of melancholy out-bursting from inadequacy. This is the reason why sometimes I am dilemma stuck whether or not to become like them. Well, anyway it’s not easy to carry yourself with such grace and poise all day long unless you are a Delhi university fuccha!
– Akanksha / From My Diary Archives
1 Comment