Vrindavan widows play Holi with colours and gulal

About 1000 widows, shunning the shackles of social stigma, played Holi with colours and gulal at Meera Sahabhagini Ashram here on Friday. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)

It was for the first time that the widows gathered in such a large number to play Holi with gulal and water colour at the 200-year-old Ashram. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)

They poured colour on each other in the presence of a large number of tourists and followers of Lord Krishna in the pilgrim town of Vrindavan. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)

Countering the age-old social evil of widowhood, several widows have taken shelter in this holy city. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)

It was a remarkable sight when the widows, mostly in the 70s and 80s, stooping low with age, danced and splashed gulal and gallons of water colours on each other. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)

Around more than 500 kg of gulaal was used. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)

Last year, these widows had played Holi with flower petals. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)

The initiative was taken by Sulabh International, which is working for improving the condition of the widows and bringing them to the mainstream besides ensuring their social assimilation. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)

The organisation looks after a thousand widows living in five ashrams here. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)

As part of Holi celebrations, Sulabh also organised traditional dance programme "Raas-Leela" and other events for them at widow ashrams. (IE Photo: Ravi Kanojia)