Ahmedabad’s Narol area is busy preparing for a colourful Holi Phagun Mahotsav. According to the organisers, the event will celebrate the festival of colours in the shared spirit of the Rajasthani and Gujarati samaj.
A neighbourhood tradition of celebration
The event carries forward the same tradition of local collective gatherings around Holi that Narol has kept up for years.
Celebrating ahead of the festival itself
Events held before Holi proper bring residents together through music, colour and shared celebration.
Why the month of Phagun matters
Phagun, or Phalgun, is the last month of the Hindu calendar, the season of spring and of Holi. Faag songs are sung throughout the month, and in the villages there are chang and daf gatherings every evening. That is why Holi is considered not a single day’s festival but one that runs for the best part of a month.
Where two cultures meet
In areas like Narol, Rajasthani and Gujarati families live side by side, and their festivals have blended into one another.
Everyone has a hand in the preparations
Young people from the neighbourhood spend weeks preparing for events like this — collecting contributions, building the stage, arranging the sound system and sending out invitations. The preparation becomes a social process in its own right.
