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‘Yellow madness!’ – Thousands drench streets of Pattan Kodoli in turmeric for Vittal Birdev Yatra

‘Yellow madness!’ – Thousands drench streets of Pattan Kodoli in turmeric for Vittal Birdev Yatra

"Thousands of devotees flooded the streets of Pattan Kodoli village in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district on Sunday, turning the town into a sea of yellow to celebrate the annual Vittal Birdev Yatra festival, otherwise known as Haldi Festival. Aerial footage captured worshippers throwing turmeric powder over one another, dancing to the pounding beats of drums in honour of Vittal Birdev Maharaj, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. The four-day celebration marks the birth anniversary of the shepherd community's revered deity. Devotees from Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh travel to take part in the ritual offerings. "Around 200,000 to 300,000 people attend this festival today. People from Karnataka, Maharashtra, and West Maharashtra come here," said one participant, who added he was happy to see so many people in his village. "It's challenging. I have a headache. Turmeric is everywhere on my body. It's burning inside and every part of my body," said another participant. One of the festival's highlights is the arrival of Sri Keloba Rajabau Waghmode, a holy man, or ‘baba,’ who walks 17 days on foot from Solapur district to Pattan Kodoli. He is welcomed with music, drums, and umbrellas, before taking his place beneath a banyan tree, where devotees cover him in turmeric and dry coconut powder. On the second day, the baba enters the Shri Vittal Birdev Temple, where he dances to drumbeats and delivers prophecies about the coming year's weather and harvest. The celebration ends on the fourth day, as the baba begins his return journey home."

‘Yellow madness!’ – Thousands drench streets of Pattan Kodoli in turmeric for Vittal Birdev Yatra

‘Yellow madness!’ – Thousands drench streets of Pattan Kodoli in turmeric for Vittal Birdev Yatra

"Thousands of devotees flooded the streets of Pattan Kodoli village in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district on Sunday, turning the town into a sea of yellow to celebrate the annual Vittal Birdev Yatra festival, otherwise known as Haldi Festival. Aerial footage captured worshippers throwing turmeric powder over one another, dancing to the pounding beats of drums in honour of Vittal Birdev Maharaj, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. The four-day celebration marks the birth anniversary of the shepherd community's revered deity. Devotees from Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh travel to take part in the ritual offerings. "Around 200,000 to 300,000 people attend this festival today. People from Karnataka, Maharashtra, and West Maharashtra come here," said one participant, who added he was happy to see so many people in his village. "It's challenging. I have a headache. Turmeric is everywhere on my body. It's burning inside and every part of my body," said another participant. One of the festival's highlights is the arrival of Sri Keloba Rajabau Waghmode, a holy man, or ‘baba,’ who walks 17 days on foot from Solapur district to Pattan Kodoli. He is welcomed with music, drums, and umbrellas, before taking his place beneath a banyan tree, where devotees cover him in turmeric and dry coconut powder. On the second day, the baba enters the Shri Vittal Birdev Temple, where he dances to drumbeats and delivers prophecies about the coming year's weather and harvest. The celebration ends on the fourth day, as the baba begins his return journey home."

Trans people at risk of exclusion from many UK public spaces, rights expert says

Trans people at risk of exclusion from many UK public spaces, rights expert says

European Council commissioner voices concerns after April’s supreme court ruling on legal definition of a woman Transgender people risk being excluded from many public spaces as a result of the recent UK supreme court judgment and must be protected from discrimination, a human rights expert has said. Michael O’Flaherty, the European Council commissioner for human rights, said he had concerns about the climate for transgender people in the UK after April’s supreme court ruling that the legal definition of a woman in the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex. Continue reading...