Thaindian News

New Delhi, March 11 (IANS) Even though most of the politicians refrained from playing Holi, Delhiites Wednesday celebrated the festival with enthusiasm.
Amidst chants of ‘Bura na mano, Holi hai’ (Don’t mind, its Holi), people of all age groups danced to the beat of drums and smeared one another’s faces with colour. The children hurled water-filled balloons from the safety of rooftops and balconies of their houses.

Also known as Dhulendi, the festival of colours is celebrated by people by throwing colours at each other. Bonfires are lit the night before as ‘Holika Dahan’ or ‘Chhoti Holi’ (Little Holi) to pray to the goddess of fire.

People visited houses of relatives and friends and enjoyed ‘gujjia’, which is a traditional Indian sweet. Youths with faces smeared in diverse colours could be seen driving around the city, visiting relatives and friends.

“Colours, dance, fun and sweets are on mind while celebrating this festival. On Holi I like to be with my friends and family members. I freaked out completely,” said Tanu Sehgal, 24, who works in a music production company.

Tamanna Khan, 26, an M.Phil. student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, said: “We celebrated Holi with great enthusiasm. It’s a time when everyone comes to have fun, leaving aside all political differences in this highly politicised campus.”

Meanwhile, the police carried out a strict patrolling across the national capital to avoid any untoward incident. At several places, the police erected barricades to check drunken driving and hooliganism.