Chapter 07: The Women Celebrate Holi
Holi, the Indian festival of colors and water was being played all over the city, and with equal gusto in Thakur Hari Singh's haveli. As festivals go Holi is the most liberating one in a society which traditionally demands restraint; at least outwardly, there is a demand to remain modest; for women not to indulge themselves; and for men to be careful in their flirtations. Married women were certainly out of bounds for any open flirtation. But not on Holi day.
In fact, on Holi while the maidens are undoubtedly sought after by the young men, the greatest display of sexual energy is with the married women. You can often see them kissing openly, allowing their wet bodies (wet from the water splashed around at Holi) to be ogled, letting themselves be groped in stairways and corridors and indulging in the man or men that might be their fancy, but are socially out of bounds.
Some of this sudden loss of inhibition is also from drinking bhaang, an intoxicating drink derived from hemp and also from drinking other local brews and good old Scotch whiskey. All of this flows freely among the men folk on Holi as the afternoon wears on. This is the day you could prevail upon your target woman to take a large gulp of one of the intoxicants. You may not be around when the shot hits her, but some other intoxicated woman might be, or your target woman might come around later, still more drunk, her dress in greater disarray.
It was Holi and everything was fair game.
Holi, the Indian festival of colors and water was being played all over the city, and with equal gusto in Thakur Hari Singh's haveli. As festivals go Holi is the most liberating one in a society which traditionally demands restraint; at least outwardly, there is a demand to remain modest; for women not to indulge themselves; and for men to be careful in their flirtations. Married women were certainly out of bounds for any open flirtation. But not on Holi day.
In fact, on Holi while the maidens are undoubtedly sought after by the young men, the greatest display of sexual energy is with the married women. You can often see them kissing openly, allowing their wet bodies (wet from the water splashed around at Holi) to be ogled, letting themselves be groped in stairways and corridors and indulging in the man or men that might be their fancy, but are socially out of bounds.
Some of this sudden loss of inhibition is also from drinking bhaang, an intoxicating drink derived from hemp and also from drinking other local brews and good old Scotch whiskey. All of this flows freely among the men folk on Holi as the afternoon wears on. This is the day you could prevail upon your target woman to take a large gulp of one of the intoxicants. You may not be around when the shot hits her, but some other intoxicated woman might be, or your target woman might come around later, still more drunk, her dress in greater disarray.
It was Holi and everything was fair game.
