Saquib Salim

Festivals, though associated with religions, are cultural assertions and points of social confluences. The idea that a festival belongs to a particular religious community therefore should not be celebrated by the people of other religious faiths has developed during the last two centuries with the penetration of colonial discourse in our lives.

Today when we are celebrating Holi there are groups of people who say that it is un-Islamic or against the Muslim culture to celebrate the ‘Hindu’ festival. Here, I do not want to visit a distant past to tell them how Mughal emperors, Nawabs of Awadh, Muslim Rulers in Deccan and prominent Muslim writers celebrated Holi. Rather, I would narrate an incident from a near past.

It was March of 1987; the Pakistan cricket team under the present Prime Minister Imran Khan was playing the last of a five matches test series at Bangalore. Holi, that year, coincided with the penultimate day of the match. Javed Miandad, one of the greatest batsmen Pakistan has ever produced, recalls how he led the charge among the Pakistani cricketers to throw colours at the Indian players and other staff at the hotel.

The Indians, Miandad says, were very cordial and there was no hatred as they were invited in Holi celebrations. The whole Westin hotel was painted red because of colours thrown by the players. Festivals, he believes, do not belong to any particular religion and people should celebrate each other’s festivals; there is no harm in celebrating.

Among all the Pakistani players only Imran Khan was shy of playing colours and locked himself in the room. Miandad, with other teammates, forcibly entered the room to colour the present PM of Pakistan. Pakistani players threw all the Indian players and guests at the hotel into the pool filled with coloured water.

Shastri was particularly targeted by Miandad while applying colours.

Kiran More, the Indian wicketkeeper, also recalls the instrumental role played by Miandad in making that Holi memorable. Players from both the teams played colours, danced on Bhangra tunes, and partied till late.

On the field, the next day, India lost the match by 16 runs and the series as well.

I quote Miandad in the end, “We should participate in each other’s festivals. I don’t find any harm in it.”

(Saquib Salem is a historian and writer)