This Indian pilgrimage and festival attracts 100 million spirituality-seeking visitors—pilgrims, saints, seekers, philosophers, gurus and disciples. It happens every 12 years at the sacred confluence of Ganges and Yamuna rivers, and the next 6 week event happens in 2025.
Read MoreVIDEO: Skating the Indian Holi Festival
Holi is a festival celebrated widely throughout India and is also known as the “festival of love.” Often represented through the popular activity of throwing vibrantly colored powder, it is a celebration in which people shed resentments of the past to rejoice together. Though originating from the Hindu religion, Holi helps unite different groups, as non-Hindus participate in the holiday as well. Throughout the country, different regions celebrate Holi in different ways; the state of Manipur enjoys a six-day festival, while other groups celebrate for one day and one night. Holi is rooted in multiple religious tales that celebrate the triumph of good over evil and truth over falsehood. For example, the famous colored powder originates from the story of the deities Krishna and Radha, and each color represents something (like red for love and green for new beginnings). Above all, Holi is a time to have fun and enjoy the loosening of social constraints; to drink bhang (an intoxicating drink made from cannabis leaves and buds), play practical jokes and dance.
Michael Mackrodt and Vladik Scholz had the opportunity to skateboard in Rajasthan during the festival. Their “wingman” David Zvereff describes skateboarding as “an activity that combines athletic endeavor with the urge to explore the cities of the world.” Director Patrik Wallner captured their journey and has also produced skateboarding films set in the Maldives, Georgia, Aremania, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and many other countries.
Muslim Victims of India’s Worst Riots Fret Over Delayed Justice
For victims of any crime, the wait for justice to be served is often a painstaking process where emotions run high. The victims of last year's Hindu riots in New Delhi now feel that any hope for justice has fizzled away.
Almost exactly a year ago, India’s bustling capital of New Delhi broke out into the worst religious rioting seen in the country since 1984. For four bloody days, Hindu mobs ravaged the city targeting Muslims, many of whom grew up experiencing peaceful relations with their Hindu neighbors. The mobs set fire to Muslims’ homes and mosques, while others dragged Muslims into the streets where they were mercilessly beaten to death. Muslims were also wounded by crowbars and iron rods, while others were lynched. Families were burned alive as the violence ensued, often by Hindus wearing helmets to prevent police identification. One victim, Mohammad Zubair, was seen crouching on a dirt street with his hands over his head; he prayed as a group of men beat him senseless. Zubair narrowly survived after the mob left his barely conscious body for dead in a nearby gutter.
“… a letter was found from a police chief calling on officers to ease punishments toward Hindus involved.”
Although a horrific scene, religious tensions and rioting are certainly nothing new to India. Hindus make up around 80% of the country’s population, while 15% are Muslims. The two groups have been in conflict since the country’s inception, but the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has exacerbated tensions to unprecedented levels.
Now, a year has passed since the riots. Although the peak of violence has passed over, neither the widespread tension nor the fear among Muslim residents has eased. Most victims of the rioting find themselves at a dead end: police have often refused to help victims due to political ties with the currently elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has connections to Hindu nationalist groups. Many victims worry that the ruling party actually supported the riots against Muslims.
Local police view the situation differently. They claim that the necessary investigations were carried out, and that almost 1,750 perpetrators were punished. Evidence seems to show otherwise; a letter was found from a police chief calling on officers to ease punishments toward Hindus involved.
In addition, the complex situation has led to a web of accusations. Kapil Mishra, a leader of the BJP, believes that the riots were started by the Muslim population to incite violence against Hindus. Other Hindus claim that Muslims were behind the rioting, claiming that the goal was to tarnish India’s image on the world stage.
Unfortunately, the situation for Muslim victims appears bleak. All that can be done now is for the anguished residents to wait some more and hope for a new path forward.
Ella is is an undergraduate student at Vassar College pursuing a degree in Hispanic Studies. She wants to assist in the field of immigration law and hopes to utilize Spanish in her future projects. In her free time she enjoys cooking, writing poetry, and learning about cosmetics.
From Everest to Kathmandu: The Wonders of Nepal
Nepal is most famous for being the home of Mount Everest, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. However, you don’t have to be a mountaineer to appreciate the beauty of this remote country, which boasts much more than its high peaks and rocky slopes. The monasteries of Nepal demonstrate the deep spirituality of many of its people and their decision to live in harmony with the natural world. Nepal’s main religions are Hinduism and Buddhism, and it has historical significance for both of these faiths. As the world’s only Hindu kingdom, as well as the birthplace of Buddha, Nepal’s religious history is rich and vibrant. This can be seen today in its people, architecture, and majesty of the natural world.
Asian Pacific American Heritage: How to Eat Like a Hindu God
There’s no place that combines reverence and community in the sacred and secular to encompass worship quite like the Ganesha Temple in Queens, New York. It’s a Hindu temple—with a restaurant.
The cultural touchstone for the Hindu community in New York has a full-service, A+ Indian restaurant tucked away through a side entrance, down a few staircases and hallways, and into the basement. The Temple Canteen is not hidden on purpose, according to Uma Mysorekar, the president of the Hindu Temple Society of North America. It was just kind of an afterthought that took on a life of its own.
When the temple was built in 1977, it was one of the first of its kind outside India. It quickly became an important site for both the local Hindu community in Queens and the religion’s devout throughout the United States. As pilgrimages increased from both national and international visitors to attend worship services and cultural workshops, they needed a place to eat, so the temple opened a cafeteria in its basement serving some of the most authentic South Indian cuisine around as a taste of home. Soon, word of the incredible food spread, and now the Temple Canteen is an institution in its own right.
Mysorekar says not all visitors are Hindu and the restaurant is open to the public. Indeed, as accolades from The New York Times, New York Magazine and Anthony Bourdain have attested, the Temple Canteen is the spot in Queens for some of the world’s very best vada, idli, sambar and dosas, still made by a team of 10 South Indian chefs and served affordably every day. For Mysorekar, going out to eat should be a joy, and as you can’t make a prayer to the Hindu gods without an offering of food, both the religious and those who praise the culinary arts have a home at the Temple Canteen.
THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON GREAT BIG STORY
Delhi Muslims Still Rebuilding Their Lives After Days of Deadly Riots
Almost three weeks after religious violence erupted in Delhi, India, thousands of Muslims are still displaced, most living in relief camps that are overwhelmed by the number of people who have lost everything.
Hindu mobs attacked neighborhoods in the northeast area of New Delhi on Sunday, February 23, 2020. At least 53 people have been killed and more than 200 injured in what is being called the worst violence New Delhi has seen in decades. The three days of violent attacks included the torching and looting of schools, homes, mosques, and businesses. “Mobs of people armed with iron rods, sticks, Molotov cocktails and homemade guns ransacked several neighborhoods, killing people, setting houses, shops and cars on fire”, according to CBS News. The New York Times reported, “Gangs of Hindus and Muslims fought each other with swords and bats, shops burst into flames, chunks of bricks sailed through the air, and mobs rained blows on cornered men.” These attacks came after months of mainly peaceful protests by people of all faiths over changes to citizenship laws that allowed discrimination against Muslims.
The new law, called the Citizenship Amendment Bill, uses a religious test to determine whether immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan can be considered for expedited Indian naturalization. All of South Asia’s major religions were included—except Islam. According to CBS News, those who oppose the law say, “it makes it easier for persecuted minorities from the three neighboring nations of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to get Indian citizenship - unless they are Muslim.” Kapil Mishra, a local Hindu politician of the Hindu nationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, told India’s police that they needed to break up the protests against the law, or he and others would take it into their own hands.
Doctors at the Mustafabad Idgah camp (one of the largest camps) are reporting that many of the survivors are showing early signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression. The makeshift relief camps are overcrowded and undersupplied, and are lacking in some sanitation amenities. Due to the lack of hygiene amenities, many are suffering from urinary tract infections and skin rashes. The lack of basic hygiene amenities is even more dangerous and deadly amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
Muslims found help from another religious minority in India: Sikhs. A Sikh man, Mohinder Singh, and his son, Inderjit, helped sixty people get to safety by tying turbans around their heads so they would not be recognized as being Muslim. Sikhs themselves experienced large-scale religious violence in October 1984 when 3,000 Sikhs were killed in Delhi after the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Khalsa Aid, a non-profit organization founded upon Sikh principles, was one of the first groups to provide aid to the victims. Members of the organization helped by assisting in repairing looted and damaged shops. They also opened a “langar”, a Sikh term for a community kitchen that serves free meals to all visitors—regardless of religion, caste, gender, or ethnicity.
“Untouchables” Still Struggle for Equality in Indian Society
With 1.2 billion citizens India is the second most populous country in the world, and while today’s India is governed by a parliamentary system, for more than three millennia, India’s massive population lived under a rigid caste system that forced many Indians into occupational roles with no hope of advancement. Though modern India has officially done away with castes, the old system’s influence is still felt, particularly among those formerly identified as “untouchables”.
According to Hindu texts, the caste system was brought to India by the creator god Brahma. The top caste was occupied by Brahmins, India’s priests and teachers. Next came Kshatriyas, who were warriors and rulers. Below them, Vaisyas made up the middle class of merchants and traders while Sudras were unskilled workers or peasants. Dalits were “untouchables,” outcasts who existed outside of the caste system entirely and were often relegated to undesirable tasks like street sweeping, toilet cleaning, and disposing of dead animals. A person’s surname identified to which caste they belonged., While one could never hope to ascend to a higher caste in a single lifetime, it was believed that through dedication to one’s Dharma, or caste-specific duty, one could earn a higher position in the next life.
In 1950, the caste system was abolished, creating new opportunities for social mobility and intermingling between India’s various social groups. India even elected a Dalit president, K.R. Narayanan, who served from 1997 until 2002. Tensions remain, however, as Dalits, still identifiable by their surnames, continually find themselves subject to discrimination, harassment, assaults, and rapes. Many attacks go unreported, and local police tend to show leniency to the attackers.
India’s caste system has been likened to South African apartheid or the Jim Crow laws, both of which required many years of legislation and social pressure to affect changes which could be embraced by the general populace—if they were ever fully embraced at all. As India wrestles with its own history of social stratification, the future of its Dalits remains unclear. But it is clear that Dalits, who make up a quarter of India’s population, are an integral part of Indian history, culture, and society, and they won’t be leaving any time soon. Greater equality could be vital to India’s overall health as a country.
JONATHAN ROBINSON is an intern at CATALYST. He is a travel enthusiast always adding new people, places, experiences to his story. He hopes to use writing as a means to connect with others like himself.