From Spl Vrindavan Holi to Holy Dip at Amritsar Temple: India's Colourful Celebrations in Visuals

The festival of colours, Holi, was celebrated on two different days across India this time. While Maharashtra and Rajasthan celebrated on Tuesday, the rest of India is celebrating on Wednesday, March 8.

This year, Holi has coincided with International Women’s Day. People have not only been sending out special messages to each other on Holi, but also celebratory women’s day messages have flooded the internet. Among them was the Nepali Embassy in India that indulged in twin celebrations.

Nepali Ambassador to India Shankar Prasad Sharma on the occasion said, “I am very happy to organize this kind of program in the Nepal Embassy in New Delhi. Many people, including diplomats, have attended and enjoyed it.”

“Today, we are also celebrating International Women’s Day. I would like to wish all the best for very hard-working, intelligent, talented women of the world, including Nepal, and including in the embassy and those who are present in Delhi,” he added.

Why is Holi Celebrated

The occasion marks the victory of good over evil. It falls in the Hindu calendar month of Phalgun – falling between February and March. People celebrate the day with colours, water, balloons and flowers. Children and adults smear Gulal on each other and seek blessings from their elders. They also visit friends and relatives to commemorate the auspicious, grand celebration and relish Holi delicacies like gujiya, thandai and more.

READ MORE | Holi 2023: Why is Holi Called the Festival of Colours

Why Did Maharashtra Celebrate Holi on March 7

The dates differed in Maharashtra this time, with the Marathi calendar stating that ‘Holika Dahan’ would be marked on Monday, March 6, and ‘Rang Panchami’ on March 7.

Some religious experts stated that the ‘Purnima Thithi’ started at 3.57 pm on March 6′, and along with this came ‘Bhadra Kaal’. The dharmic gurus suggested that celebrations should be avoided during this time as it brings bad luck.

Hence, to keep the shadow of Bhadra at bay, the the experts suggested that people in Maharashtra should mark the festival on March 6 and 7. “Any state where the sun sets after 6.10 pm should mark the festival on March 6, while places in the north like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar can mark Holika Dahan on March 7 as the sun sets before 6.10 pm,” the experts had suggested.

READ MORE | Why is Maharashtra Celebrating Festival of Colours on March 7?

Celebrations and Traffic Violation in Mumbai

Mumbai traffic police on Tuesday penalised more than 10,000 two-wheeler bikers for not wearing a helmet and 73 motorists for drunk driving. As many as 65 bikers and drivers of eight four-wheelers were caught for driving under the influence of alcohol. Mumbai traffic police fined 746 motorcycle users for riding triple seats and 10,215 bikers for being helmetless.

Drowning Incidents on Holi

• A 21-year-old engineering student drowned in a river on Tuesday after he and his friends entered the water body following Holi celebrations in Maharashtra’s Pune district, an official said. Jalgaon resident Jaideep Patil, a third-year student at D Y Patil Engineering College at Varale in Talegaon Dabhade, and 10 other friends went to the nearby Indrayani river to wash off colours after celebrating the festival, the official said.

Celebrations in Uttar Pradesh

• Devotees thronged Shri Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan to offer prayers.

• Warning from Noida Police: Spreading rumours on social media that could impact public tranquillity, law and order on Holi and Shab-e-Barat, both festivals falling on Wednesday, can land a person in trouble, the Gautam Buddh Nagar police warned on Tuesday. Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh has directed officials to keep a close tab on social media activities and take immediate action against anarchic elements spreading rumours online, the police said in a statement.

• The Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday asked people to play Holi with others only with their consent, making the point through a Hindi song. “Balam Pichkari jo ‘without consent’ mujhe maari…to 1090 pe calling ho gayi,” it said in a tweet, playing on the lyrics of Bollywood song “Balam pichkari”.

“Remember that consent is the key to keeping the festival vibrant. If you experience any harassment or assault, dial 112 for police assistance,” the police tweeted. It also used the hashtag #HoliOverHooliganism. The Uttar Pradesh police’s twitter handle has over 2.8 million followers.

Celebrations in Punjab

• Devotees offered prayers at Golden Temple in Amritsar.

• BSF jawans celebrated the festival at Border Security Force headquarters in Khasa.

Celebrations in Rajasthan

• Foreigners celebrated Holi in Pushkar of Ajmer district on Tuesday and in Jaipur, where the tourism department organised an event after a gap of almost two years to mark the festival of colours. At the Holi event organised by the tourism department at Khasakothi, domestic and foreign tourists played with colours and ‘gulal’, and danced to the beats of traditional Rajasthani tunes.

Delegations of various organisations and common people met with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in Jaipur and wished him on the occasion. The chief minister too congratulated them. Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot participated in the Holi Milan ceremony organised at New Sanganer Road Mansarovar in the state capital.

Leaders Celebrating in India

• Union minister Kiren Rijiju and External Affairs minister S Jaishankar attended the Holi festivities at Defence minister Rajnath Singh’s residence. US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo also participated in the celebrations.

• Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was seen at the Rajghat on Wednesday after he had announced a day ago that he will not celebrate Holi as his party leaders, Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia, were in jail.

No Celebrations in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri

Residents of Dhangri village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district did not celebrate Holi on Tuesday following the killing of seven people by terrorists early this year. “We are still in mourning and have decided to stay away from the Holi celebrations this year,” local Sarpanch Dheeraj Sharma told PTI.

Terrorists struck the village on January 1 and targeted several houses of a particular community before fleeing the scene, leaving behind an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). While five people were killed in the firing by terrorists, two others died in the IED explosion the next morning. A total of 14 villagers were injured in the twin attacks.

Holi was celebrated in most parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. Sharma said staying away from Holi celebrations was a moral responsibility for every one in the area. “The entire village stands with the victims’ families. The whole village is paying their respect to the killed innocents who included a father-son duo, two minor cousins, two brothers and an ex-serviceman,” he said.

Swiggy Takes Down ‘Egg Ad’ Billboard for Holi

Swiggy’s egg ad billboard for Holi has been taken down after a section of people expressed “outrage” on social media.

The advertisement said, “Omelette – Sunny side-up – Kisi ke sarr par. #BuraMatKhelo. Get Holi essentials on Instamart.” Though there is no official statement from Swiggy on the matter, news agency PTI quoted a source, “The billboard ads were only in Delhi-NCR and have been taken down now.”

Soon after the ad was put up, several people tweeted with the hashtag “HinduphobicSwiggy”, urging people to boycott the food and grocery delivery service provider.

All India Sadhu Samaj member and former president of the Kutch Sant Samaj wrote, “Hey @swiggy, it’s not okay to give selective gyan on Hindu festivals. Your Holi reel and Billboard is creating a wrong perception about Holi. You must apologize and take steps to promote cultural inclusivity.”

VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi also objected as she wrote, “Hey Swiggy, why don’t you give similar gyan on Eid/Christmas? Afraid of Sar Tan Se Juda gang? Since you serve diverse communities, it’s important for you to learn to respect all religions. Remove your Holi ads.”

Holi 2023: 15 Hindu Students of University of Karachi Injured by Radical Islamic Group

At least 15 students from the minority Hindu community celebrating Holi at the University of Karachi were injured when they were attacked by some members of a radical Islamic student organisation, the second such incident in Pakistan in two days.

A University of Karachi official confirmed there had been an incident in the Sindhi department where Hindus and other students were celebrating Holi and throwing colours at each other when some students attacked and injured them. “We are looking into the incident which is totally against our policies,” he said.

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