The fullness of charm and enthusiasm of the Holi festival can be experienced in Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana and Nandgaon. These places are associated with the birth and childhood of Lord Krishna. As well as playing with the coloured powder, the women of Barsana give a tough time to men of Nandgaon as they come to play Holi with them. Women come armed with long sticks and the guys armed with a protective shield. The women then beat them for a few minutes at a time, for only one hour on the day of Holi.
At the start of the hour, the women are lined up with their sticks, ready to beat the men.
After each men is beaten for a while, another person stops the beating, and the men take it in turns to be beaten.
The beatings happen in a square of the town.
You can see this man has just taken the sheild and is sitting on the floor, ready for the beating.
Everyone wants a go at getting a beating.
This project was shot on a Leica Monochom, which can only capture Black and White images. This was an intentional image making restriction. The combination of the Summicron 50APO lens and the B&W sensor has the ability to render textures and tones differently to any other. The project was to show that colour is only one element of Holi festival and the way that the coloured powder mixes with the water and dries on the skin is another.