One of the famous Indian Festival “HOLI” I spend this year in Manila, Philippines. Organized by the Indian Community in Manila in Mall of Asia. Discovered about this event in Facebook. It was Sunday, took my camera and reached there just on time.
There were so many Filipinos also have joined the event at the river side bank at Mall of Asia. Indeed it was a spectacular event, truly the smell of Indian spice at the soil of Manila. They have organized desi boys & girls performance and also Brazilian Samba dance with the help of a small Brazilian troop.
There were no alcohols are allowed at the event area as it’s meant to be a family event. The sky was clear enough to take beautiful pictures. I carried my 40mm 2.8 prime. Aim was to capture few candid moments of people playing and dancing with colors.
With the punjabi bhangra music & Samba beats the vibe of the whole event is just the way you want. It was absolutely crazy. Greeting strangers with colors because it’s the only day people wont complain if you throw the color at them. It’s one of those day when regardless of all the religion, all the languages, people rejoice together.
Capturing candid moments really wasn’t easy. Noticed few local newspaper journalists and few hobbyist also joined with their photography gear. 40mm is not exactly the right focal length for this kind of events. Moreover to get the right expression of the people is also very critical. I did not take precautions of my photography gear even though my camera or lens is not dust proof. Thankfully no damage happened.
I guess wide angle lens like 14-24 2.8, 17-50 2.8 or 18-55mm is the more appropriate lens for this kind of event if you can’t afford the ultra wide. Drinks (Thandai) was served in the event area with some varities of delicious Indian food. Also the organizer distributed one packet of Abir (Color) free of cost. Really enjoyed the way Filipinos were involved in the event.
Will surely try to attend more of this kind of desi festival in Philippines.
avirupchatterjee 