SHILLPI A SINGH
When we think of Holi, we think of colours, water sprinklers, water balloons and meeting and greeting friends, acquaintances over gujia, bhang and thandai. When we think of a celebration, we know only of the famous Holi celebration of Barsana in Uttar Pradesh. But away from the hustlebustle of the city, Momasar, a nondescript 500-year-old village 250 km north-west of Jaipur and barely 125 km from district headquarter Bikaner, in Rajasthan, plays the ubiquitous host to a unique, fun-filled celebration, Geendar Utsav, just days before Holi.
How it started
For the uninitiated, the tiny hamlet of barely 15,000 people enjoys the enviable reputation of being the hub of cultural events, festivals, and fairs around the year. If Geendar Utsav spread over three days and two nights, celebrates the different hues of spring to the beat of traditional musical instruments, nagada and dhol along with dhap and chang, two-day-long folk festival Shekhawati Utsav-Momasar, heralds autumn and provides a one of its kind platform to folk artistes from across the state to showcase their musical talent.
Adding a colourful dimension to Holi, the festival is marked by Geendar dance that has men dressed in colourful costumes, from lehengacholi to miniskirt, tube tops and hats, and disguised in different characters swaying to folk