Whatta festival !!

Yangon, Myanmar, 15th April 2003

It cannot be sheer co-incidence that the New Years of many fall in April. While we had our own 'Gudi-Padva' earlier this month, Baisakhi was celebrated yesterday, the Myanmar new Year falls on the 17th and the Sri Lankan New Year sometime this week. Baisakhi marks the celebration of a new harvest; and with a new Sikh colleague named Harinder Singh joining me here from April 3, it was only natural for us to have visited a gurudwara in downtown Yangon, yesterday. We were taken there by one of our suppliers, Mr. Kesu who is Burmese by birth but boasts of Indian ancestors. After the mandatory bhajans sung fairly well by the local 'Burmese-Sikh' kids, we had food there itself, in the 'langar'. Believe me, the lunch was excellent: Chapati, Aloo-Gobi, Boondi raita, Black dal and Rice ! It is said that while cooking the 'langar', one is not permitted to taste it for ascertaining the right mix, proportion of salt, etc. as it is part of the offering to god. Yet, the meal turns out to be tasty and perfectly cooked! I had never tasted better Black dal in my life!

The Myanmar Water Festival had commenced on the 13th - four days of sheer revelry that culminate in the sombre New Year on the 17th. Hence, our visit to the gurudwara and back was very much undertaken during the water splashing celebrations. As we travelled in the comfort and protection of Kesu's car, not a drop of water reached us. However, in the city, the festival was on in full swing, with hordes of youngsters in open vehicles-jeeps, matadors, toyotas, station-wagons, the works...adorning the roads of this very verdant city; spraying one another with water! It was a sight to behold and we decided to participate in the celebrations the next day.

Accordingly, we did participate in the revelry today! Throughout the city, numerous wooden stages are erected at intervals on the sides of the roads, from where H2O is sprayed upon the public. One such stage was sponsored by the Myanmar Beans and Pulses Traders' Association and we made our way there this morning at 10:00, escorted by Mr. U Than Htay, our chief supplier. The stage had been erected hardly 300 mtrs. from our residence at Yankin Centre, so we walked. We walked amidst numerous crowds of merry makers and vehicles(many with the covers of their boots taken off to accomodate either a water tank or people!) overflowing with revellers; and received a good drubbing on the way, at times with ice-water! We took to the comparative safety of the stage and then it was our turn to drub people.

Each stage is well equipped with loudspeakers playing fast-paced dance music at full blast, 20 -25 hose pipes which draw their water from a huge tank located behind and below the stage; the water is squirted with some force, thanks to generator sets! As the colourful cavalcade of vehicles with its yelling, singing and dancing occupants nears a stage, each vehicle stops for a minute or so to allow its revellers to be willingly soaked, drenched and drubbed by the people on the stage manning those hose pipes. Throughout the day - except for an hour for lunch - the singing, yelling, dancing and soaking continues. Vehicle after vehicle halts before the stage, the occupants try to take cover in mock fear of the drubbing, receive a thorough soaking; the vehicle moves on! Needless to add, beer and non-veg snacks are omnipresent.

The entire atmosphere is one of gaiety and merry making and I can think of no Indian festival that comes close to the Myanmar Water Festival. Our Holi festival back home is quite ugly compared to this one, as this is pure and clean fun. There is no offending colour or oil paint, no poisonous 'gulal', no compulsion on anyone to participate and above all, no physicality involved between members of the opposite sex. 50% of the participants-both on stage and in the vehicles-are young teenage girls, but no untoward incident takes place.

We returned home at 4:00 p.m., having thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was a unique and an unforgettable experience. We just might participate again tomorrow, it being the last day of the water festivity. I deeply regret having left behind my camera at Nashik, but will get photographs of the event from someone. I am sure you will enjoy viewing as much as I enjoyed participating.

(Cut to the present - 2021. The photograph above was clicked by me during the Water Festival of 2004, when I had my camera. Thank god for that!)