Fear over festivity: Transpeople, women face annual Holi ordeal

For many women and transpeople in Delhi, Holi is not a festival of colours but an annual ordeal of harassment.

- SURUCHI KUMARI

NEW DELHI: The days leading up to the festival often turn public spaces into battlegrounds where safety is a luxury. From school-age boys to grown men, anyone can be an aggressor, emboldened by the excuse of festivity. Water balloons are hurled with force, regardless of age or consent, and often filled with harmful substances like dirt, eggs, or chemical-laden colours. Those who step out must choose between enduring this treatment or locking themselves inside. Even more disturbing is the culture of impunity—older men often dismiss concerns with the refrain, 'Bura na mano, Holi hai.'