Holi 2022 Live: Children playing Holi after two years of Covid pandemic, in New Delhi on Friday. Holi Celebrations Highlights: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended his greetings to the nation on the festival of Holi. “Wishing you all a very Happy Holi. May this festival of colors, a symbol of mutual love, affection and brotherhood, bring every color of happiness in your life,” Modi tweeted. Extending greetings on the eve of Holi, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said on the occasion of the festival of colours people should strive to strengthen the bonds of friendship and amity that hold the society together.
The Delhi Police Thursday said it has made adequate security arrangements for Holi celebrations to keep hooligans at bay and drunken driving in check. The Maharashtra government on the other hand issued guidelines for the festival, asking people to celebrate it without gathering on a large scale, and adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour as the disease is still prevalent.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday announced a two-day holiday for Holi. According to a notice issued by the government, both March 18 and 19 will be official holidays across the state. Meanwhile, Delhi University said teaching activities will remain suspended on March 17 in view of Holi. In a notification, the university said all libraries of the university will also remain closed. The Islamic Centre of India has urged mosques to change the timings of Friday prayers given that Holi will be celebrated the same day. Since Holi, Shab-e-Barat and Friday prayers are on the same day, all efforts should be made to ensure peace and order in keeping with the composite culture of the country, the chairman of the Islamic Centre of India Farangi Mahal appealed on Wednesday.
Holi 2022: This year the festival of Holi falls on March 18, while Chhoti Holi will be celebrated on March 17. (File Photo)
One person was killed and two others suffered bullet injuries in the city's Regent Park area on Friday after gunshots were fired in the midst of a Holi party, following an altercation among friends. The deceased was identified as Dilip Chauhan, a senior police officer said.
The accused, Sujit Mallik, was absconding, he said. According to the officer, an altercation had started among a group of friends during a Holi party in Regent Park's Natunpally area over application of ‘gulal' (coloured powder) on a woman, he said.
Malik pulled out a gun and fired shots, leaving Chauhan dead and two others injured. (PTI)
A youth drowned while four others are missing as they were swept away by strong currents while taking a dip in river Kharasrota after celebrating Holi in Odisha's Jajpur district on Friday, police said.
The tragedy took place when six youths were taking bath in the river at Bandhamunda ghat near Badasuara village after celebrating Holi in their locality. While the body of one youth has been fished out and another rescued, four others are missing, police said. A team of fire brigade personnel from Jajpur town reached the spot and launched a rescue operation.
The fire team initially fished out the body of one youth during the operation. Later, they managed to rescue another youth. While the rescued youth was rushed to the District Healthcare Centre. He was later shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, police said. (PTI)
Eleven persons including seven teenagers drowned in separate incidents in Devbhumi Dwarka, Kheda and Mahisagar districts of Gujarat following Dhuleti celebrations on Friday, police said. Dhuleti, a festival of colours, is celebrated a day after Holi in the state.
In Devbhumi Dwarka, five boys who entered the water for bathing after celebrating Dhuleti, drowned in the Triveni river after misjudging its depth, police said. They were identified as Jit Luhar (16), Himanshu Rathod (17), Bhupen Bagda (16), Dhaval Chandegara (16) and Hitarth Goswami (16), all local residents.
Fire brigade personnel from Bhanvad and Khambhalia towns along with local divers retrieved the bodies, Bhanvad police station's sub-inspector Nikunj Joshi said. (PTI)
Delhi Police keeps a vigil on commuters at India Gate on the occasions of Holi and Shab-E-Baraat. "We have set up several points to check drink and drive cases and other offences. From 8pm, we have placed special security arrangements for Shab-e-Barat," DCP Traffic Ajay Tomar said.
Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana on Friday visited several duty points in the capital and exchanged pleasantries with personnel deployed for security on Holi, an official statement said. The police chief also visited integrated checking pickets of the traffic unit and the district police deployed to check revelries and unruly driving, it said.
Asthana said adequate security arrangements have been made to ensure peace and harmony during Holi and observance of Sahb-e-Barat, according to the statement.
Patrolling has been intensified and additional force has been deployed in communally sensitive areas. Meetings with Aman committees have been held so that both the celebrations may pass-off peacefully, the statement said. Senior formations have been directed to ensure maximum visibility on ground and take action against unruly revellers or mischief makers, it stated. (PTI)
After a gap of five years, the entire family of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav came together to celebrate Holi at their native village Saifai and extended greetings to the locals and party workers. After tensions between Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav in 2016, separate Holi festivities used to be organised.
As the two leaders buried their differences ahead of the just-concluded Assembly polls, the entire family came together to play Holi, according to former MP and senior party leader Ram Singh Shakya.
A huge pandal was set for the festival at the Saifai festival ground and the family played Holi with flowers. Samajwadi Party (SP) national general secretary Dr Ram Gopal Yadav, party chief Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav were seen sitting together on the dais. (PTI)
The body of Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudarm, a final year medical student of Kharkiv Medical University who died in a shelling attack in Ukraine, will arrive at the Bengaluru airport on March 20, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj S Bommai said.
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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma offered prayers at Doul Govinda Temple in North Guwahati, on the occasion of Holi.
This year's Holi is special for Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as he has achieved the distinction of being the longest-serving BJP chief minister. On Thursday, he broke a record which had been held by former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh.
While Raman Singh, who was chief minister for three consecutive terms, remained in the post for fifteen years and ten days, 63-year-old Chouhan has now surpassed him. The Madhya Pradesh CM's tenure, however, has not been unbroken: he was out of power for fifteen months as Congress formed government under Kamal Nath's leadership after the 2018 Assembly polls.
As far as Madhya Pradesh is concerned, Chouhan has another record under his belt. On November 19, 2015, when he completed ten years in office, he became the first non-Congress chief minister of the state to do so. Then he went on to become the longest-serving chief minister of MP by breaking the record of Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh who had ruled from 1993 to 2003. (PTI)
After two years of low-key celebrations amid rising COVID-19 cases, 'Dol jatra' or Holi was marked with grand fervour this time at Mayapur -- the global headquarters of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) -- with close to a lakh devotees taking part in the annual fiesta on Friday, smearing each other with colours and dancing to the beats of ‘Hare Krishna' chants.
The religious organisation also observed the 536th birth anniversary of 15th century saint Chaitanya MahaPrabhu on this occasion, its spokesperson Subrata Biswas said. Devotees from 92 countries offered prayers early in the day, and some of them were seen adorning the temple premises with seasonal flowers and strings of multihued lights.
Priests blew conch shells and performed ‘arati' amid traditional beating of drums, before the revellers set out to play with ‘gulal' (coloured powder). (PTI)
Two people were killed and around six injured in a clash following a dispute over celebrating Holi in a village here on Friday, police said. The deceased were identified as Akhand Pratap Singh (32) and Shivram Pasi (55), and the incident took place in Revrhapur village under the Jamo police station limits, SHO Dhirendra Kumar Yadav said.
The police said District Magistrate Rakesh Kumar Mishra and Superintendent of Police Dinesh reached the village following the clash. There is heavy police presence in the area currently, they said. The SHO said Akhand Pratap Singh had a criminal past. (PTI)
Just out of the election mode, Goa was drenched in a riot of colours on Friday as local residents and tourists alike participated in the festival with great enthusiasm amid a big drop in coronavirus cases and absence of restrictions.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, basking in the victory of his party BJP in the just concluded Assembly polls in Goa, played Holi with his family members at his home in Sanquelim town, 40km from the state capital Panaji. Sawant posted a picture on social media wherein he is seen covered in colours accompanied by his wife, daughter and other family members.
Joyous spirit pervaded the Goa streets on the festival of colours since morning as people organised Holi parties across various destinations, including the coastal belt. (PTI)
A rashly driven private taxi knocked down an eight-year-old boy playing Holi on the road, killing him on the spot, and later hit and injured three people who were on a morning walk in suburban Bandra on Friday, a police official said. The accident took place in the Ram Mandir locality of Bandra (East) when the cab driver lost control over the vehicle, he said.
According to the Nirmal Nagar police official, the deceased boy, identified as Gaffar Chowdhary, was playing Holi with a water gun on the road when the cab driver, Sunil Kumar Rajput, fatally knocked him down. He then hit three people who were out on a morning walk, leading to fractures on their hands, the official said. Local residents apprehended the cab driver and handed him over to the police.
They alleged Rajput was under the influence of liquor at the time of the incident and driving without a valid licence. He was arrested and his car seized, the official added. (PTI)
Common citizens as well as political leaders and ministers celebrated Holi, called Dhuleti in Gujarat, with great zeal and enthusiasm across the state on Friday.
The festival of colours saw a different scale of celebrations this year in the backdrop of a significant drop in coronavirus cases, which encouraged people to step out of their homes without much fear and mingle with each other. This was in a sharp contrast to 2021 when COVID-19 cases were soaring ahead of Holi, leading the state government to ban public celebrations and mass functions on Dhuleti. The COVID-19 outbreak had dampened Holi festivities in 2020, too.
In absence of curbs this time, open plots with lawns on the outskirts of cities turned into venues for celebrations. Such commercial events were held in all major cities of Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat. (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh's caretaker Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Friday extended their wishes to the people on the occasion of Holi.
In a Hindi tweet, Adityanath said, "Greetings to all on the auspicious occasion of Holi, which symbolises joy and social harmony. May this festival bring colours of happiness and prosperity in everyone's life." He is celebrating Holi in Gorakhpur.
Akhilesh Yadav, who is celebrating Holi at his native village Saifai in Etawa, in a Hindi tweet, said, "Happy 'satrangi Holi' (Holi of seven colours) to all. Happy 'satyarangi Holi' (Holi of true colours) to all." At a programme in Saifai, Yadav was seen sharing the stage with his uncles Shivpal Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav. (PTI)
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday celebrated Holi at his residence in Shimla. He also shared a picture of putting colour on Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at the Rajya Bhawan.
After two years of muted festivities, Holi was celebrated across Punjab, Haryana and their common capital Chandigarh on Friday with much gaiety as revellers stepped out of their homes with 'pichkaris' and 'gulal' amid a decline in Covid cases.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann greeted people on Holi and hoped that the festival of colours, unity and harmony brings happiness and peace in everyone's life. Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar also extended his greetings to the people on the occasion.
Revellers exchanged greetings, visited friends and relatives, gifted 'gujia' (a traditional sweet) and smeared 'gulal' (colour powder) on each other's faces. (PTI)
Holi was celebrated across Rajasthan with great enthusiasm on Friday with people thronging the streets, smearing each other with 'gulal' and exchanging greetings after two years of muted festivities due to Covid curbs.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot extended greetings to the people of the state on the occasion.'Greetings on Holi, the festival of colours filled with love and joy. May this festival bring happiness, prosperity, and happiness in everyone's life,' he tweeted. Revellers splashed bright colours at each other with everyone trying to make up for the two years that were lost to the Covid pandemic.
Govind Parihar and his friends in Jodhpur said, 'We used to play Holi in the first half of the day. But this year, we will have celebrations the entire day with family and friends.' 'Holi this year is very special because the last two years there was not much celebration because of the pandemic,' Jaipur resident Girdhari Lal Sharma said. State minister Mahesh Joshi celebrated Holi with the party workers in Jaipur. (PTI)
President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday exchanged Holi greetings over telephone, an official said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to Naidu wishing him on the festival of colours, the official of the Vice President Secretariat said.
Earlier, in a tweet, Naidu said that on the auspicious occasion of Holi, "let us strive to strengthen the bonds of friendship and amity that hold our society together". (PTI)
West Bengal on Friday celebrated Dol Jatra with great fervour leaving behind the aloofness due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
People from all age groups came out in the streets in large numbers and smeared 'gulal' or 'aabir' on each other. Children cheerfully sprinkled coloured water on the passers-by, which they greeted with affection.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to social media to greet people on the occasion. "Heartiest Dol Jatra greetings to all. May the majestic festival of diverse colours bring happiness, peace, joy and prosperity in all of us. May the spirit of diversity, amity and equality inspire us," she tweeted. (PTI)
After two years of muted festivities due to Covid-19, people came out of their homes in large numbers on Friday to celebrate Holi in Madhya Pradesh with traditional fervour in an environment largely free of curbs due to an ebbing third wave of the pandemic.
People gathered in big numbers and sprayed colours mixed with water, applied 'gulal' on each other's faces and later distributed sweets as cries of 'Holi hai' reverberated the streets. For the last two years, coronavirus had played spoilsport on Holi and forced citizens to remain indoors to check the spread of the infection. Revellers in groups were seen singing as well as dancing to the tune of famous Bollywood song 'Rang Barse' and throwing colours at each other across the state to celebrate the festival that marks the triumph of good over evil.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had recently asked people to celebrate Holi with pomp and gaiety in view of a drastic fall in daily Covid-19 cases. On the eve of Holi, Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang had slammed the message to save water on Holi as an attack on Hindu festivals. (PTI)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday extended his greetings on Holi and appealed to the public to celebrate the festival with love and harmony. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also extended his greetings on the occasion. In a tweet in Hindi, Kejriwal said, "Wishing you all a very Happy Holi. May this festival of colours bring new happiness and joy to your life. Celebrate this festival together with mutual love and harmony." (PTI)
BJP President JP Nadda celebrated Holi in New Delhi. Check it out:
Extending his greetings on the occasion of Holi, Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted: "Wishing everyone celebrating Holi a vibrant beginning to spring."
Deputy CM of Delhi Manish Sisodia celebrates Holi.
Political leaders from across parties extended their greetings on the occasion of the festival of colours. Take a look at some of their tweets:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday celebrated Holi at his residence in New Delhi. Take a look.
For foreign eyes, colours and India have always had a connection. Remember the much talked about music video produced by Coldplay back in 2016? Almost every glimpse of it was smeared with the shades of Holi, to the point that the spring festival almost appears synonymous for the Indian subcontinent. Holi has, for centuries, held a special place in the hearts and minds of foreign visitors to India. At times associated with exoticism, at other times with primitivity, the festival has for years been seen as an essential segment of the Indian cultural landscape.
When the Europeans first started ruling over parts of India, the region, its geography and its people were just as incomprehensible to them as were their manners and traditions. They were particularly fascinated by the festival of colours, as they described it variously as “the carnival of the Hindus,” or the “Hindu spring festival in honour of Krishna, the amorous cowherd.” The name of the festival too was hard to assimilate in the English tongue. For a long time, it was referred to as Houly, Huli, Whoolye and Wooly before the current spelling of the word was used by the English dictionaries of the early twentieth century.
To the European observer, the festival was essentially tied up with Hinduism, Lord Krishna and his flirtatious ways and of course the tradition of spraying colours. Read more.
Festivals, anthropologists tell us, serve many purposes. They can be occasions for exchanging gifts and, as a result, affirming social hierarchies — think of the paltry bonus or rationed piece of dessert offices provide during Diwali. But there’s another kind of festival as well, when society as a whole decides that it’s time for the rules to break down, to engage in primordial, communitarian revelry. In large parts of India, Holi serves that purpose. And for two years, thanks to a pandemic that is both a great leveller and isolator, many Indians were robbed of the safety valve of celebration.
Holi, perhaps more than any other festival, is about transgression. In colleges, students splash water on their professors, in housing colonies the old and young alike take great pleasure in putting colour on each others’ faces. There’s even a permissiveness around inebriation. In a society where hierarchy — who you can eat with, love etc. — is often strictly enforced, Holi is a day of relative equality. And given how much inequality has grown during the pandemic, people need a splash of colour more than ever. Now, for the first time since 2019, the fear of the pandemic isn’t overshadowing the prospect of having a little fun. Read more.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison extended his greetings to the Indian community on the occasion of Holi. "Holi holds even more meaning this year. As we reach the end of a 2nd pandemic yr, we can be thankful for the many things that have sustained us -our family, community & faith," his message reads.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended his greetings to the nation on the festival of Holi. "Wishing you all a very Happy Holi. May this festival of colors, a symbol of mutual love, affection and brotherhood, bring every color of happiness in your life," Modi tweeted.
Shan Sarang Surat Singh, a petty official at the Mughal court, and Abdul Karim, a scholar, were lifelong neighbours in Lahore during Shah Jahan’s rule. The two men and their families lived next to each other in the same mohallah, the details of which have later been mentioned in Surat Singh’s manuscript titled Tazkira-i-P?r Hass? Tel?, an account about P?r Hass? Tel?.
Singh and Karim were no exceptions -- such proximity was a common feature of Mughal urban centres like Agra, Shahjahanabad, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Cambay, Surat, Banaras and more. Intermixing was a way of life till the 18th century, points out historian Ali Nadeem Rezavi. “This inter-mixing of various religions in the same neighbourhood was not confined only to professional and mercantile classes. The houses of Hindu and Muslim nobles were close to each other too.”
The idea of a composite culture had been steered by the conduct of the Mughal Emperor ,with its beginning associated to Akbar. Audrey Truschke in her ‘Culture Of Encounters- Sanskrit At The Mughal Court’ talks of Akbar being initiated into practices like veneration of the Sun god. The emperor had learnt to recite 1,000 names of the sun from Bh?nuchandra, a Swetamvara Jain ascetic from Tapa Gaccha order. This was around 1587.
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At least 22 mosques, including some prominent ones like Jama Masjid Idgah, Masjid Aishbagh, Ek Minara Masjid at Akbari Gate, Masjid Shahmina Shah and Masjid Chowk have changed the timing of the Friday prayers pushing it after 1.30 pm.
With Shab-e-Barat also falling on the same day, the Islamic Centre of India asked the Muslims to visit mosques and the graves of their loved ones after 5 pm when the playing Holi is over and that there should not be fireworks on the day.
To maintain peace and order, the Islamic Centre of India has urged mosques to change the timings of Friday prayers given that Holi will be celebrated the same day. Since Holi, Shab-e-Barat and Friday prayers are on the same day, all efforts should be made to ensure peace and order in keeping with the composite culture of the country, appealed the chairman of the Islamic Centre of India Farangi Mahal and Lucknow Idgah Imam Maulana Khalid Rasheed appealed on Wednesday.
Apart from seeking change in the timings of Friday prayers, he urged Muslims to offer prayers in local mosques.
South Western Railway has decided to run Train No. 06593 Yesvantpur - Gorakhpur one way express special with special fare in order to clear the extra rush of passengers during Holi. The timings and stoppages are as detailed below: -
Train No. 06593 Yesvantpur – Gorakhpur one way express special will depart from Yesvantpur at 05:20 pm with effect journey commencing on 19.03.2022 and Train will arrive at Gorakhpur at 07:30 pm on the third day.
En-route, the train will arrive / depart Hindupur - 06:39/06:40 pm, Dharmavaram - 08:33/08:35 pm, Anantpur - 09:09/09:10 pm, Guntakal - 10:40/10:45 pm, Adoni - 11:29/11:30 pm, Manthralayam Road - 12:09/12:10 am, Raichur - 12:38/12:40 am, Begampet - 05:28/05:30 am, Secunderabad - 05:45/05:55 am, Kazipet - 08:03/08:05 am, Ramagundam - 09:19/09:20 am, Manchiryal - 09:34/09:35 am, Bellampalli - 10:04/10:05 am, Balharshah - 12:35/12:40 pm, Chandrapur - 12:58/01:00 pm, Nagpur - 03:50/03:55 pm, Amla - 06:08/06:10 pm, Betul - 06:26/06:28 pm, Ghoradongri - 07:01/07:02 pm, Itarsi - 10.35/10.45 pm, Jabalpur - 01.50/02.00 am, Katni - 03:10/03:15 am, Satna - 04:50/04:55 am, Banda - 08:30/08:35 am, Kanpur Central - 11:45/11:55 am, Unnao - 12:20/12:22 pm, Aishbagh - 01:40/01:50 pm, Badshahnagar - 02:25/02:27 pm, Barabanki - 03:20/03:22 pm, Gonda - 04:45/04:50 pm, Mankapur - 05:13/05:15 pm, Basti - 06:00/06:05 pm, Khalilabad - 06:43/06:45 pm.
The special train will have a composition of 21 coaches comprising of TWO AC 3-tier Coaches, NINE Second Class Sleeper Coaches, SEVEN General Second Class Coaches, ONE Parcel Van and TWO Second Class Luggage cum Brake-Vans with Divyangjan friendly.
'Holika Dahan' at Palaj village, Gandhinagar on Thursday.
People perform Holika Dahan in Gol Market area of Delhi.
Teachers throw a bucket of water on another as they celebrate Holi at a school in Ahmedabad, Thursday, March 17, 2022. (AP Photo)
Extending greetings on the eve of Holi, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said on the occasion of the festival of colours people should strive to strengthen the bonds of friendship and amity that hold the society together.
Celebrated with traditional fervour and enthusiasm throughout the country, Holi is the time for family and friends to come together and rejoice in the spirit of the spontaneous, joyful celebration of life, he said in his message. "The lighting of the bonfire on the eve of Holi symbolises the triumph of virtue over evil. On the auspicious occasion of Holi, let us strive to strengthen the bonds of friendship and amity that hold our society together," Naidu said. (PTI)
A New York-based cultural organisation is set to celebrate Holi with fervour through special festivities including a puppet show, art activities, Indian dance workshops to commemorate the Indian festival of colours and spread awareness among communities here about Indian culture.
The Culture Tree, which promotes cultural literacy about South Asia, in partnership with New York City's cultural epicentre The Seaport will host a special celebration on the occasion of Holi on March 19. The array of Holi festivities, aimed at not only celebrating the festival but also teaching the community about Indian culture, will feature a puppet show, art activities and an Indian dance workshop and performance. (PTI)
To maintain peace and order, the Islamic Centre of India has urged mosques to change the timings of Friday prayers given that Holi will be celebrated the same day.
Since Holi, Shab-e-Barat and Friday prayers are on the same day, all efforts should be made to ensure peace and order in keeping with the composite culture of the country, appealed the chairman of the Islamic Centre of India Farangi Mahal and Lucknow Idgah Imam Maulana Khalid Rasheed appealed on Wednesday.
Apart from seeking change in the timings of Friday prayers, he urged Muslims to offer prayers in local mosques. (PTI)
Happy Chhoti Holi! This year, Holi will be celebrated on March 18. Follow this space for the latest on how India is celebrating the festival of colours.