Mar – 2026: Begum Bazaar Holi Festival, Where Every Street Came Alive with Colors
Some traditions are worth returning to every year. After the incredible memories we created during our first Begum Bazaar Holi Photowalk in 2025, we found ourselves walking through the same colourful streets once again in March 2026. But as always, festivals never repeat themselves. The colours may look familiar, yet every Holi brings new faces, new emotions, and countless new stories waiting to be captured.
Mar-2025: The Begum Bazaar Holi Festival Photography Meetup, Celebrating Colors Through Every Frame
With the confidence and experience we had gained the previous year, planning this meetup felt much easier. But this time, the biggest challenge wasn’t photography.
It was uncertainty.
Initially, the Holi celebrations at Balakrishna Lal Mandir, Begum Bazaar were announced for 3rd March. A few days later, the date was changed to 4th March, creating some confusion because of the Chandra Grahan.
Rather than relying on rumours, the three of us, Mr. Sai Tejeshwar Rao, Mr. Cherry Mokka, and I, personally visited Begum Bazaar multiple times. We met the temple organizers, spoke with the priests, and checked with the surrounding shopkeepers until we finally received confirmation that the celebrations would indeed take place on 4th March.
With that confirmation, we officially announced our Holi meetup to the community and everything was set. However, just a couple of days later, we received another unexpected update from the temple committee. Due to the Chandra Grahan, the temple had decided to cancel its official Holi celebrations after all.
It was an unfortunate last-minute change, but as admins, our responsibility was always to share accurate information with our members. We immediately informed everyone through our WhatsApp group that the official meetup had been cancelled.
Not every journey follows the plan, but every journey has a story.
But we also knew something else.
Festivals often have a life beyond official announcements.
So we shared one final message.
Although the official meetup had been cancelled, a few of us would still visit Begum Bazaar on the morning of 4th March. Anyone interested was welcome to join us for an unofficial Holi Meetup.
Sometimes, the best memories begin after the original plans change.
To our surprise, more than 30 passionate people still joined us that morning.
While the temple celebrations had been cancelled, the nearby streets were already coming alive. Local residents had arranged music, colours, and celebrations in the surrounding lanes, and before long the festival had begun in its own beautiful way. Within minutes, the streets transformed into a canvas of vibrant colours, joyful laughter, music, and smiling faces. Every corner offered another beautiful frame waiting to be captured.
As photographers, our first instinct was exactly what it had always been. Capture everything. Cameras pointed towards colourful faces, flying gulal, dancing crowds, joyful children, and every little moment unfolding around us. Every street offered a different perspective, every handful of colour created another unforgettable frame, and every smile reminded us why festivals remain some of the most rewarding experiences for documentary photography.
Festivals are not just seen. They are felt.
But then something unexpected happened.
One by one, cameras slowly started going back into the bags.
Instead of searching for the next photograph, our members began doing something even more memorable.
They simply became part of the celebration.
Colours filled the air, music grew louder, people danced together, friends covered one another in colours, laughter echoed through every street, and for the first time, many of us stopped worrying about missing a photograph and simply enjoyed the festival ourselves.
Looking around, it felt wonderful to see photographers becoming participants instead of observers.
Sometimes the best way to experience a festival is not through the viewfinder, but with your own eyes.
The celebration continued for 2-3 hours.
Group photographs, colourful selfies, endless laughter, and joyful conversations became just as memorable as the photographs themselves. Even though this had become an unofficial meetup, the warmth, energy, and enthusiasm of our members made it feel every bit as special as any official event we had organized before.
It reminded us that communities are never defined by announcements. They are defined by the people who choose to show up.
Where people come together with joy, every gathering becomes a celebration.
Slowly, the colours began to settle, the music became quieter, and the morning that had started with so much uncertainty ended with countless smiles. Looking around, it was hard to believe that this meetup had almost been cancelled. Sometimes, the most memorable gatherings are the ones that come together despite every challenge.
Before heading home, many of us stopped for a quick breakfast together. The conversations continued just as they had throughout the morning, with everyone laughing about the colourful moments, sharing their favourite memories, and already looking forward to the next meetup. What had begun as an unofficial gathering had quietly become another unforgettable chapter in the journey of ShutterSociety.HYD.
It was a simple ending to an unforgettable morning.
Happiness comes when your work and your words are of benefit to yourself and others. — Gautama Buddha
Our heartfelt thanks to every member who trusted the journey despite the uncertainty, joined us even after the official meetup was cancelled, and helped turn an unexpected morning into another beautiful chapter of ShutterSociety.HYD. Special thanks to the local residents of Begum Bazaar, whose enthusiasm and celebrations reminded us that festivals are ultimately about people, togetherness, and shared happiness.
