INDIA'S HOLI: SPANISH TOMATINA

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, a multi starred ensemble cast of the new decade which introduced the youth to an alternate lifestyle. Three richie-riches, who wanted to celebrate the last few days of bachelorhood of their friend, wondered some of the most exotic locations of Europe, and made ‘Tomatina’, a wish list of all. Everyone wanted to take off their shirts like Hritik and squash tomatoes on Katrinas’. Incidentally, it was not very surprising, when a cool goateed dude called Holi as ‘India’s Tomatina’.

La Tomatina is a food fight festival held on the last Wednesday of August each year in the town of Bunol near to Valencia in Spain. It’s the 'World's Biggest Food Fight' where more than hundred metric tons of over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets. The week-long festival features music, parades, dancing, and fireworks. The fight is preceded by dropping of a ham piece from a greasy pole and a water canon shot which marks the alpha of the combat. The tomatoes are tasteless inferior quality, imported from ‘Extremadura’, a Spanish autonomous community. The history of the festival dates back to 1945, when it started as a fight between groups of brawlers on street, who used the vegetables from by-standing hawkers as weapons. Over the years, it has inspired numerous similar commemorations across the world – in Columbia, Chile, China and USA. In India, the hosting of a Tomatina event in Banglore, Mysore and Delhi were denied by the State Governments, where they said, "In the name of Tomatina, permission should not be granted to waste tomatoes". Guess, it was a good decision. 

If one sensibly looks at all the whys and whats of Tomatina, there is no logic that emerges. Except, that this helps the small sleepy town of Bunol, a business worth €300,000 (approximately 2.1 Crore INR).

Holi, one of our staple festivals is celebrated for a larger cause than Toamtina.  It has mythology of the victory of God and Good over the demons and evil.  It also marks taata-a and farewell to winter and welcomes the spring. If anyone of you doesn’t know the heroic poem of Prahlad, Hiranyakashipu and Holika, then you deserve a strong toed kick on your posterior and a admission to the best retard home in the country at Agra. ‘Bhaang and Bollywood’, have an intrinsic relation to Holi, and in 80’s it was trend to shoot minimum one song on Holi in the movie. Gabbar’s famous dialogue of Sholay, ‘Holi, kab hae holi’, went viral on Facebook during the last week.

On 18^th September 2009, in an episode of the USA Network series Psych entitled "Bollywood Homicide", Holi is first depicted on an American network television. Color in Motion and Color Me Rad are starting to spread over the United States. They combine the bright colors of Holi with the intensity of a 5 Km race. Runners show up wearing white running outfits and every kilometer they run, they are doused in a different color. In the music video of “The Catalyst”, rock band ‘Linkin Park’ shows band members playing Holi. The videos director, Joe Hahn says, “People collect these pigments throughout the year to release them in this festival as a celebration of life and tribute to Vishnu”. One can research hundreds of accounts of various cultures and Nationalities, willing to associate themselves with the Indian festival of colours. But on the contrary, we want to play Tomatino, especially when it has no moral message and is a shear waste of edible material. I have some big questions to ask, that goateed cool dude and ourselves..

• Why is Holi, India’s Tomatina and not Tomatina a Spanish Holi?

• Navi Mumbai Holi Riots of 2006, infinite unpleasant events of rowdism, cheap tacts and cliché ‘Bura na maano’ which makes most girls uncomfortable – are just a few examples of why it has become a day of fear rather than fun. Shouldn’t we have the boundaries of “playable Holi”, clearly demarcated? Let’s save our Holi.

• ‘Bhaang’, which has association with ‘Shiva’, have been officially declared the drinks for Holi, for reasons unknown. Can anyone tell me why? If not, then let’s stop it, its Cannabis plants or Marijuana.

Think India, THINK !!!

The Thoughtful Indian Team, wishes you and your family, a very

Happy HOLI..