India - Where the past seamlessly blends with the present; what better representation than the festival of colours, Nandgaon, Holi.

Nandgaon is known to be the place where Lord Krishna spent his childhood and traces of his adventures can be heard being retold by generation after generation at each corner of the city’s winding lanes.

Legend has it that the menfolk from Nandgaon would travel to celebrate Holi with the women of Barsana. The men are welcomed to Barsana by women wielding sticks or ‘Lashths’ ready to fend off the new arrivals. The men however come well prepared with padded shields to protect themselves from the pending onslaught. I think you could ass a little more here about the why and how

The following day, the women from Barsana (women in fact no longer go so men and trans-gender people dressed as women represent women from the village) go to Nandgaon to celebrate Holi with the men from the village. They are welcomed with water and dried paint in a multitude of colours as the village paints itself a hue of red and pink.

Alongside the celebrations dwell the photographers looking to freeze forever the moments of joy & celebration. Photographers however are not spared, more the opposite, we are targeted. More often than not by kids using toy guns to attack us and our cameras. Photographers would tend to not expose their cameras to these beatings. I decided to approach this in an entirely different manner and confront the situation head on. As this young boy spotted me, I stood my ground, camera to the eye and awaiting the splash. As quickly as it had happened, it was over, the boy scurried off through the lanes in search of his next victim never to be seen again.

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Title: Splash
Location: Nandgaon, India
Photographer: Subodh Shetty
Exposure date: 25th February 2018
Size: 6016x4016 @240dpi
No image manipulation

License: Can be used to display privately, in commercial and non-commercial settings, or in groups with an unlimited number of participants. The license includes unlimited use and display in virtual or physical galleries, documentaries, and essays by the NFT holder. Provides no rights to create commercial merchandise, commercial distribution, or derivative works.

The image (Splash) will never be replicated as an edition, in a collection, composite, or in any form of digital art.