It happens every year on the first full moon on the Indian month of “Phalguna”: India’s Holi festival, the most jubilant and flamboyant festival to be found anywhere on the whole subcontinent. This year, the festival falls on March 3 of the Gregorian calendar. We’re talking about two days when order is turned on its head and vibrantly colored powder fills the air on the streets. Let us take a closer look at Holi and the Indian transport and logistics sector in general…

According to tradition, the Hindu festival of Holi commemorates the triumph of good over evil, in the form of the destruction of a demon woman named “Holika”, with the help of the Hindu god “Vishnu”, the preserver – who has also been known to enjoy intoxicating village maidens with water and colorful pigments.

And while there are a number of other myths about the origins of this festival, one thing is always the same: For centuries, Holi has stood for unrestricted exuberance, the transgression of boundaries, overturning the rigid caste system, and thus Hinduism’s sacred cosmic order – for just two days out of the whole year. Gender, age and caste make no difference on these days. All Indians are one. Everything is allowed and anything is possible.

Here, at the “largest street party in the world”, people celebrate with dancing and music, cover each other with “gulal”, the famous vibrantly colored powder, and pour dyed water by the bucketful from balconies or into thronging crowds of people.

Colorful and flamboyant, but with a dark side

The diverse inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent have a rich collection of names for this springtime festival, which is as colorful as the event itself. The term most often used in the West, “Holi”, is what the festival is generally called in North India and Nepal, but it is known by other names in other regions. Regardless of the name, it is the vibrant highlight of the year everywhere.

Although it sounds like great fun and the pictures look amazing, a not-so-pretty aspect has become more apparent in recent years. Pigments that are increasingly synthetic and not, as they used to be, made from natural, plant-based ingredients can cause significant health problems, such as skin irritation and asthma attacks. In addition, women often find themselves in dangerous situations in bustling colorful crowds. This has led to the issuance of strongly worded safety warnings or – rather dubiously – the imposition of curfews.

Between tradition and modernity – in transportation, too

To travel through India is to witness a nation in flux, where traditions are constantly being reshaped by the sheer scale and energy of the world’s largest population. One striking example is India’s infrastructure, which in large part still relies on the achievements of the colonial era. Although much has improved over the past 25 years, there is still a lot of catching up to be done. In the World Economic Forum’s ranking of infrastructure quality, the subcontinent currently comes in 51st (as of 2025), but it is constantly climbing up in the ranking.

Change is needed, given the fact that this is the most rapidly expanding economy in Asia, coupled with increasing urbanization and an astonishing projected population of 1.7 billion people by 2060. With 6.5% GDP growth, India is the fastest-growing G20 country, and the recently signed trade deal with the EU will further boost both economies.

The Indian government recognizes the complexities arising from this development and is initiating massive infrastructure initiatives. The challenge is clearly gigantic and the potential is high. No wonder market experts predict great growth for the Indian logistics market. According to a report by Armstrong & Associates, total logistics spending is expected to reach almost 650 billion US dollars by 2026.

Gigantic country with a gigantic transport network

When looking at the whole country, it is clear that conveying goods by rail, road, air and sea is still relatively challenging, as rural locations are difficult and expensive to reach. Nevertheless, with a total length of 6.3 million km, India has the second-largest road network in the world, after the US. Admittedly, most of these streets are not paved, and the number of accidents on them is regrettably high. The government intends to not only build new roads but also increase coverage with traffic guidance systems, CCTV and electronic toll systems.

State-owned Indian Railways (IR) operates the fourth-largest railway network in the world, with around 109,000 km of track, and handles most of the country’s rail traffic. With an annual cargo volume of over 1.6 billion tons (financial year 2024/2025), it surpasses the United States and Russia. Indian Railways have been actively converting meter and narrow-gauge lines to the more common broad-gauge system to enhance connectivity and efficiency in the country’s railway network.

“Dedicated to freight”

“Dedicated Freight Corridors” (DFC) are a special feature of Indian rail sector that are meant to reduce the burden on existing lines. The first sections of the Western and Eastern Corridor were opened to traffic in the fall of 2018. The Western Corridor is intended to relieve the Mumbai–Delhi line and runs from Jawaharlal Nehru Port to Dadri, which is situated 35 km west of central Delhi in the federal state of Uttar Pradesh. The Eastern Corridor runs from Ludhiana in the northern state of Punjab via Dadri to Dankuni, near Kolkata. The current length of the DFC railway network is 2,800 kilometers – although an impressive figure, there are ambitious plans to significantly expand it.

The tracks of the DFCs are of course completely electrified, allowing for average speeds of 70 km/h, and are used by double-stack trains. Moreover, new industrial and logistics centers are set to be built along the corridors. Given the preliminary success of the concept, it comes as no surprise that four additional corridors traversing the country’s length and breadth are already planned.

By river and by air

Insufficient infrastructure means that the full potential of inland waterway transport has not been fully exploited – in spite of the fact that the country boasts an impressive 14.500 km of navigable waterways. The water mark and flow rate are seldom consistent and can be downright problematic given the monsoon. However, some have started to think about this in a new way, with the aim of harnessing the power of large rivers such as the Ganges and Brahmaputra. A few years ago, the Indian transport industry saw its first container transport on a river, and port facilities in many locations have been renovated and modernized. Inland waterway transport is becoming more established: Freight volume on waterways has risen from 30 million tons in 2014 to more than 145 million tons in 2024.

At the same time, it is obvious that airports serving the country’s large cities have reached their limits. India is a market with great potential for the aviation industry. Domestic passenger volume alone is constantly increasing, and this will also increase demand for associated infrastructure.

The air freight segment is equally promising, reaching 14.2 billion US dollars in 2025. Indian airports handled a total of 3.71 million tons of cargo, marking a 10% increase from the previous year. International cargo saw a significant rise of 14%, reaching 2.32 million tons, while domestic cargo increased by 6% to 1.39 million tons.

India’s high logistics costs are a clear hurdle, but one the government is determined to overcome with intensive investment in transport infrastructure, while also aiming to reduce the inevitable bureaucratic red tape. Unifying a country of 29 federal states and 21 official languages is a monumental task. In a way, it mirrors the very spirit of Holi – the search for a single, shared identity amidst a kaleidoscope of diversity. Just as the festival unites everyone, the ultimate aim of these ambitious projects is to connect every corner of the nation, building a modern infrastructure worthy of its vibrant culture.