Thaindian News

New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) Yellow, red, green, purple - the vibrant colours jostled for prominence as people sprayed gulal and water on each other and distributed sweets Sunday to celebrate Holi.

From the morning, children armed with water guns, or pitchkaris, filled with coloured water and buckets with water balloons roamed the streets in small bands, spraying colour on others to shouts of “Holi hai!”.

Families played Holi in their front lawns or gardens, splashing buckets of water on each other to whoops of joy and screams from unsuspecting victims.

Many kids preferred to throw balloons on revellers from the safe confines of their verandahs or terraces.

Sweets, especially the traditional gujiyas, were the order of the day. Many exchanged sweets and greeted each other while smearing gulal.

Police were posted at pickets across the city.

In crowded urban pockets, the celebrations were more robust.

Large bands of revellers, armed with coloured water - deep purple, black and silver - smeared anyone they came across with colour. Traditional drum beaters played the dholak and earned money and sweets at many homes.

“I joined the celebrations in my colony. It was fun, we smeared gulal on each other,” said Akshay, a 14-year-old in a south Delhi colony,

The more adventurous downed the intoxicating bhang to add zest to their celebrations.