Phoolwalon ki Sair : A history of emotions
By: Pernau, Margrit
.
Material type: 
BookPublisher: Economic & Political Weekly Description: 61(13), Mar 28, 2026: p.54-60.
In:
Economic & Political WeeklySummary: The Phoolwalon ki Sair, the flower sellers’ festival, takes place every year in Mehrauli. In October 2025, administrative delays led to the cancellation of this centuries-old symbol of religious pluralism. While modern discourse emphasises communal harmony and national integration, the festival’s emotional history is more layered. This paper traces its evolution from a 19th-century monsoon celebration defined by shringara, or erotic love, to a late-Mughal expression of muhabbat between the king and his subjects. Following its 1961 revival, it was reinvented as a state-patronised secular tradition. The study explores how shifting emotional vocabularies continue to shape the festival’s social significance and contemporary contestations.-Reproduced
https://www.epw.in/journal/2026/13/special-articles/phoolwalon-ki-sair.html
| Item type | Current location | Call number | Vol info | Status | Date due | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Articles
|
Indian Institute of Public Administration | 61(13), Mar 28, 2026: p.54-60 | Available | AR138724 |
The Phoolwalon ki Sair, the flower sellers’ festival, takes place every year in Mehrauli. In October 2025, administrative delays led to the cancellation of this centuries-old symbol of religious pluralism. While modern discourse emphasises communal harmony and national integration, the festival’s emotional history is more layered. This paper traces its evolution from a 19th-century monsoon celebration defined by shringara, or erotic love, to a late-Mughal expression of muhabbat between the king and his subjects. Following its 1961 revival, it was reinvented as a state-patronised secular tradition. The study explores how shifting emotional vocabularies continue to shape the festival’s social significance and contemporary contestations.-Reproduced
https://www.epw.in/journal/2026/13/special-articles/phoolwalon-ki-sair.html
There are no comments for this item.