Varanasi: Kashi Vidvat Parishad and some other organizations have opposed the ‘Masane Ki Holi’ program being organized at Manikarnika Ghat and Harishchandra Ghat, the crematorium of Varanasi, saying that this tradition is not according to the scriptures. Kashi Vidvat Parishad member Pandit Vinay Pandey told PTI on Monday that playing Holi in the crematorium is not according to the scriptures. He said that for the last few years some people have been organizing it and calling it an ancient tradition. Pandey said that the crematorium has a dignity, it is not a place for celebration.
He said that now the young men and women are “breaking the decorum by playing Holi in a vulgar manner” in the crematorium. Sanatan Rakshak Dal state unit president Ajay Sharma said that Masane Holi was started in 2014 in the name of serving Thandai to Aughad Babas and later it was claimed that it is a 400 year old tradition. He claimed that in the Holi of Masane, which was started in the name of Aughad Babas, young men and women got drunk and started creating ruckus.
Sharma said that a common man should not go to the crematorium without any reason. He said that it is written in the Puranas that a person who goes to the crematorium without any reason is subjected to Sutak for a month and such people later go to the temples and defile them too. Referring to late Pandit Chhannulal Mishra’s popular song ‘Masane Ki Holi’, Sharma said the renowned Hindustani classical singer had clarified that his song was sung for Digambara (Shiva) and not in support of the practice.
Sharma said that this tradition of playing Holi in the crematorium is a conspiracy to defame Kashi and it should be stopped immediately. At the same time, Gulshan Kapoor, who organized Holi of burning pyre at Manikarnika Ghat, said that it is not yet clear how many Kashi Vidvat Parishads there are in Banaras. He claimed that all the members of Kashi Vidvat Parishad are outsiders and do not have knowledge of the tradition and scriptures of Kashi. Kapoor said, “They don’t even know that Kashi is the land of cremation ground and Mahadev himself has come to the cremation ground to play Holi with pyre ashes. This has been mentioned in Veda Purana as well as Durga Saptashati.”
He claimed that the tradition of Masane Holi had almost died out due to the ‘Mughal invaders’ and now it has been revived. Kapoor alleged that some “charitable people” want to earn money by taking donations under the guise of this event, but their intention is not being fulfilled and hence they are defaming Masane Holi.
