Holi is considered one of the most beautiful festivals celebrated by many. But the dark truth is that several girls are molested on the pretext of playing Holi. “Bura na maano Holi hai!” is one of the most common excuses we hear after every joke, prank, misbehaviour or harassment during the festival of colours.
Recently, a student of Lady Sri Ram College in Delhi shared that she was attacked with semen-filled balloons. “Its content seeped into my kurti and leggings. It dried on my black leggings and the foreign smell clearly indicated that it wasn’t water. Of course, at that point of time, I did not guess what it really was.
You see, nobody had thrown semen at me before yesterday or any other substance for that matter (sic),” she wrote on her Instagram handle. She added that her friends told her that it is a “normal thing” during Holi.
Sadly, several girls face such incidents and choose to keep quiet about it. “Police can patrol and keep an eye on certain places for a certain time. But as a society, we must educate young boys on how to behave,” explains Kavita Krishnan, secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association. She adds, “It’s time we completely abandon the concept of ‘bura na maano Holi hai’. Any kind of harassment or misbehaviour, no matter how small or big, should be treated with the same seriousness.”
Shuttler Jwala Gutta, who was shocked after learning about the Delhi incident, feels that we should encourage girls to speak out about any harassment that they face. “Women comprise 50 per cent of the society and they should be accorded the same respect as men.”
“We should encourage young girls to retaliate and not suffer any kind of harassment. By speaking about such incidents and stricter laws, the boys will also be scared before doing anything inappropriate with any woman,” Jwala adds.
City-based socialite and blogger, Esha Hindocha, feels that such incidents scar a person for life. “Generally, the Holi bashes that I go to have a good crowd but a lot of eve teasing happens on the roads during Holi,” she says, adding, “Women are leched at. I can’t be 100 per cent carefree and enjoy myself while playing with colours.”
Sharing an incident that she witnessed, Esha says, “I remember when I was a teenager and playing Holi in my colony. I was hiding in a corner with colours in my hand and waiting for a friend. But the moment my friend came there, a neighbour of ours, who must have been in his 40s, grabbed her from behind and put his hand in inappropriate places on the pretext of playing Holi.”
Many times, friends or relatives are the harassers, which makes it difficult for the girl to react. Zeny Momaya, a city-based entrepreneur says, “Sometimes, young girls are touched inappropriately while playing Holi. In fact, if you go on the roads, many throw balloons and eggs at you, which is not right. Such incidents should be addressed then and there. Only then can we expect any change.”
