The doodle has been created by Chennai-based artist Chaaya Prabhat.
Holi celebrates the start of a new season--spring. Earlier, it commemorated good harvests of the Rabi crop,the fertile land before the Kharif crop and the rains. It was a time to enjoy the end of winter and the beginning of spring filled with hope and joy.
The doodle has been created by Chennai-based artist Chaaya Prabhat.
Her website says: "Chaaya Prabhat is a graphic designer, illustrator and lettering artist. After completing her M.A in Graphic Design from Savannah College of Art and Design, she is now working independently in Chennai, India. She has worked with several clients such as Snapchat, Google and The Obama Foundation. She has previously received awards for her portfolio and projects from Behance and Adobe."
The festival of Holi has many more aspects to it than just playing with water and colour. Here's a look at the mythological and significance of this much loved festival.
Read: Holi messages to share with your loved ones
1. Google's Q&A with artist Chaya Prabhat
)
Guest artist Q&A with Chaaya Prabhat
Q: Why was this topic meaningful to you personally?
A: Holi is one of the biggest festivals in India, and it means a lot to me to be able to use my illustration style to represent the spirit of it.
Q: What were your first thoughts when you were approached about the project?
A: While doing my research for this project, I was wondering how to represent a festival that's celebrated in so many different ways all over the country - in the form of dance, music and other rituals. The common thread I found for all the various ways in which Holi is celebrated is the festivity of bright and beautiful colours and people taking to the streets to celebrate, so I decided to approach the project in that direction.
Q: Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle?
A: I drew inspiration from the vivid colours of the Holi powders, and textures and patterns of the buildings and clothes of people in India.
Q: What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?
A: I hope that everyone enjoys the colours, since that's what Holi represents.
2. The myth behind Holi
)
The word Holi derives its name from Holika who is the sister of Hiranyakashipu. This is how the Hindu mythology story goes: King Hiranyakashipu, the great demons ruler was granted a boon by Brahma, the god of wisdom and this made it almost impossible for him to be killed. The boon was a gift due to his long penance. Consequently, he grew arrogant and attacked the Heavens and the Earth. He demanded that people stop worshipping gods and start praising him.
Hiranyakashipu's own son, Prahlada, was a devotee of Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu threatened him to stop but Prahlada continued offering prayers to Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu poisoned him, but the poison turned to nectar in his mouth. He was ordered to be trampled by elephants yet remained unharmed. He was put in a room with hungry, poisonous snakes and survived.
All of Hiranyakashipu's attempts to kill his son failed. Finally, he ordered Prahlada to sit on a pyre in the lap of Holika, Hiranyakashipu's demoness sister, who also could not die because she had a boon preventing her from being burned by fire. Prahlada readily accepted his father's orders, and prayed to Lord Vishnu to keep him safe. When the fire started, everyone watched in amazement as Holika burnt to death, while Prahlada survived unharmed.
3. Why it's called Holi
)
The salvation of Prahlada and burning of Holika is celebrated as Holi. People burn bonfires on the eve of Holi to commemorate this event in mythology. This event is known as Holika Dahan or the burning of Holika also called Chhoti Holi or small Holi, after the fire Holika Dahan prayers are said and god is praised. In the South of India, Holika Dahan is referred to as Kama Dahanam.
In Mathura, where Krishna grew up, the festival is celebrated for 16 days till Rangpanchmi and celebrates Radha's divine love for Krishna. The festival officially ushers in spring, the season of love.
