Gusto marks Holi,festivities peaceful

Fifty of them were admitted to a municipal hospital at Sion,officials and doctors said.

Elsewhere in the country,gusto and bonhomie marked the festival of fun and frolic which passed off peacefully as police kept a hawk-eye vigil.

Revellers,with their clothes dyed in myriad hues,thronged lanes and narrow alleys to celebrate the festival of colours.

Forgetting all rancour and old grievances,people from all walks of life exchanged embraces wishing “Happy Holi” as unseen hands squirted them with a well-timed coloured water spray.

The spirit of jollity reigned supreme as politicians and commoners mingled with each other on the occasion.

Water-filled balloons were hurtled down from rooftops and balconies as cries of “Holi hai” reverberated the streets.

Musical soirees were held at many places to mark the festival which bids adieu to winter and heralds the spring season.

The scent of sweet delicacies,cooked up on the occasion,also wafted through the air.

BJP veteran L K Advani celebrated Holi with family and friends at his residence in the national capital. Several party leaders and workers attended the ‘Holi Milan’ programme at his house.

In Pink City,the capital of Rajasthan,no untoward incident was reported from anywhere,Jaipur Police Commissioner B L Soni said.

Holy city Mathura was soaked in colours as pilgrims descended on the land of Lord Krishna to celebrate the exuberant festival of colours.

The young and the old splashed colours on each other with religious songs in the background adding to the perfect ambience.

In some towns,foreigners enthusiastically participated in the celebrations which began last evening with lighting up of the bonfire known as “Holika Dahan”.

Effigies of Holika,the sister of Hiranyakashyap,the demon king,were set ablaze at several places symbolising the destruction of evil.

President Pratibha Patil,Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh greeted the people on the occasion.

“Holi is a festival of colours that heralds joy,hope and fulfilment in our lives,” the President said.

“May this colourful festival bring peace and happiness and promote national integration,” the Vice-President said.

The Prime Minister said “let the spontaneity and liveliness of this spring festival yet again affirm togetherness of our multi-cultural nation.”