For me, India means rawness, colours, energy and of course festivals! In this diverse country there are a plethora of festivals and events that happen throughout the year. In April 2022, I visited the vibrant city of Mumbai and witnessed the spectacular event of Tamil New Year. I had never seen such a crazy celebration in a long time.

In Mumbai, there is a place called Reay Road and near to this place there is a Mariamma Temple. This is where the celebration took place. Mariamma is the Hindu goddess of rain, worshipped and revered by thousands in rural areas of South India. People and pilgrims pray to her for bringing rain and curing diseases like cholera, smallpox, and chickenpox. She is considered to be an ultimate protector by her devotees.

The worship rituals are accompanied by various kinds of folk dances and a primary ritual takes place on the road which is about a mile or two from the temple. A hurried walk and dance carry hundreds of thousands of worshippers along the road to the temple. Many in the crowd have fasted, shaved their heads, and wear bright yellow clothes which are sacred to the goddess. Women and children carry a pot n their heads decorated with the goddess’s favourite leaves, of the Margosa tree. Young men and women carrying similar pots are followed by drummers and dance more wildly. Adult men and women carry pots of charcoal fire. Some put themselves through a special tribulation of having sacred weapons like daggers, tridents, or sharp spears, inserted through their cheeks or tongues. Through this worship, each individual achieves self-realization and awareness of samsara and moksha.

While shooting this event, I literally forgot about the heat that day. Yes, it was very very hot. That day I spent a lot of time watching the rituals of the festival and enjoying the essence. I was taking a couple of pictures, and then in some time, the entire place went crazy. The piercing ritual was about to start. People were dancing and went wild. In every corner of the crowd, someone was getting pierced and one guy told me to be careful, as those weapons were very dangerous. I wanted to go close and make a photograph, which will show strong emotions. Getting a well-framed photograph was very difficult that day. After shooting hundreds of pictures, I feel super lucky to get this one. I love the strong decisive moment and emotion in this picture. When I see this, it takes me back to that day and I can feel everything about the moment.

Edition: 15/15

Artist: Subhran Karmakar

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Dimension: 5261 x 3508

License: Primary NFT holder is free to use in advertising, and display privately and in groups, including virtual galleries, documentaries, and essays by the holder of the NFT, as long as the creator is credited. Provides no rights to create commercial merchandise, commercial distribution, or derivative works. Copyright remains with the creator.