The celebration of Holi in Uttarakhand has changed considerably in recent years compared to the traditional celebrations in the mountainous regions. Talking to The Pioneer, two prominent folk singers- Narendra Singh Negi and Pritam Bhartwan shared how Holi was celebrated in the past and how the people especially the youths are forgetting the culture and traditions of the mountains.
Negi said, “Holi in the hills was inspired from Braj and Mathura where lord Krishna was born and because it’s a festival of happiness and enjoyment we all adopt it and started celebrating it in Uttarakhand too. At first, it used to be all musical where traditional and classical songs were sung. The villages of Kumaon can still be seen celebrating khadi and Baithki Holi. There were the colours of love and happiness on the faces of the people. However, now the traditional form is lost and it’s all chaos. Holi has lost its serenity and composure and now people create din and behave roughly,” he added. Negi further opined that youngsters nowadays don’t want to adopt and follow their own traditional norms which shouldn’t be the case. He stressed on the need for maintaining the traditional practices and rich heritage.
Bhartwan says that Phoolon ki Holi (flower Holi) was celebrated in the past. No synthetic colour was used at that time only natural and homemade colours were used, different homemade sweets and items like Urad Pakodas and Daal Parathas were served to guests. “People of distant villages would come to participate in the Holi celebration. The elders used to apply tilak on each others foreheads while the youngsters were seen coated in different colours. People dressed in traditional attire used to rejoice to the beats of dhol. But now the celebration is different and involves DJs and synthetic colours. Sometimes, uncultured and rowdy behaviour is also witnessed during celebrations which is disappointing,” he said. Bhartwan said that people should teach their children about culture, tradition and heritage, as the youth today seem to be forgetting their own rich culture while being carried away by foreign culture.
Saturday, 27 March 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
