Sexual Harassment at the Holi Festival
I attended the 2023 Holi festival at Kanifnath Singapur in Pune City, India. The temple was filled with elderly people and their families. They began by praying to their god before starting to play with colors.
In Pune, most people were respectful and did not throw colors at strangers during the festival. However, in some parts of India, particularly in North India, the celebrations can become quite intense. Unfortunately, many tourists, especially women, have shared their bad experiences of being sexually harassed during the Holi festival.
Bura naa mano, Holi hai
“This incident took place on the second day of Holi when I went to play at a temple in Mathura city. Around a thousand people were gathered in front of the temple when someone groped my chest and another person grabbed my bag.”
Tucky is a Thai woman who loves to travel to India. She recently shared her experience with me that people in Mathura City played Holi in a very radical way. Unfortunately, she was unexpectedly sexually harassed during her visit.
“I was fortunate that other men came to my aid and helped to subdue the perpetrator who harassed me, but while being chaotic, someone took his dick to touch my ass.”
Tookie told me that when she returned to travel to India after the Covid pandemic, she felt more threatened than before. On that day, the situation didn’t end.
“On my way to the hotel, the driver asked if he could bring along a friend in the car. The friend insisted on taking a photo with me and then hugged me before sitting next to me. This made me feel anxious throughout the entire journey.”
In addition to Tookie’s story, Cream is another Thai woman who has also been sexually harassed. She recently shared her story on March 8th, 2023.
“My hostel was located quite far from the festival area, approximately half an hour’s walk away. On the day of the festival, the streets were deserted as all the shops were closed. Suddenly, a group of men ran across the street and wished me ‘Happy Holi’.”
Cream continued her story and mentioned that the man came up to her and asked to hold her hand. Cream reluctantly agreed, but the man then pulled her into a hug, which made her feel frightened and uncomfortable. Meanwhile, his friends laughed at the situation,
Cream quickly ran away and used her spray for protection. Unfortunately, the situation did not improve, as groups of men along the way yelled at her and asked if they could play Holi with her while attempting to touch her body.
Despite Cream’s attempts to protect herself by shouting at the men, they continued to harass her, taking photos with her, hugging her neck, and making sexually explicit comments such as “I liked your boob.”
Tookie and Cream both shared their experiences of being sexually harassed during the Holi festival, and they advised anyone who wishes to attend the Holi festival to be extremely cautious.
Tookie shared her opinion that women who travel alone in India, particularly during the Holi festival, are never completely safe due to the prevalence of drunk individuals. She noted that the portrayal of the event on the internet and in media may differ from the reality of the situation. As a result, Tookie advised women to be fully dressed, firmly say “no,” if they feel threatened or harassed.
“If possible, women should go with their friends and stay near the venue of the Holi festival. If you feel unsafe at any point during the event, you should immediately walk away from the situation.” Cream said
Holi shit! It shouldn’t be forgiven.
I played Holi in Kanifnath Temple Singapur after they tried to play. They came to eat together in the temple’s almshouse. There was rice and curry and the people made their sweets to share.
The afternoon’s summer is hot like hell during Holi, which is a signal of the end of winter and the beginning of summer. Additionally, Holi is a festival for forgiveness.
However, it’s important to note that sexual harassment incidents during Holi are a serious issue and should not be forgiven.
“Although I’ve had a bad experience, It doesn’t make me afraid of India, because I’ve seen a lot of good things in India.” Tucky said
“I still like this festival. The problem is in person, not at festivals. Many people came to help me during the festival. The old man gave me water and a handkerchief when the color splashed into my eyes. I want to see and enjoy Indian culture more” Cream said
Tucky and Cream, two tourists from Thailand, were still impressed by the Holi festival and India despite their bad experience. However, if India continues to allow sexual harassment incidents to occur during the festival, it will create a negative image of India for people around the world. Although many people fall in love with Indian culture, such incidents will scare people and make them hesitant to visit. This problem needs to be addressed to ensure that everyone can enjoy the festival without fear.
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