New Delhi: It's a rainbow of colours across the country as India gets draped in the multi-coloured hues of Holi even though an unseasonal weather threatens to play spoilsport in North India.
The festival of colours also marked the end of winter and arrival of spring.
From Holi heartland Vrindavan and Varanasi to tinsel town Mumbai to Anandpur Sahib and up to the frontiers, a jubilant nation is getting a new high as throngs of crowds are getting into festive gears, singing "Holi hai bhai Holi hai, bura na mano Holi hai."
Varanasi celebrated Holi on a muted tone. The city showed much resilience and spirit to bounce back from last week’s terror attacks and get drapped in myriads colours.
The festivities began on a sombre note in the morning but picked up as the day progressed.
People danced and sang their way to the ghats early morning on Wednesday to offer prayers and play Holi.
At Vrindavan, it has been a full blast. A huge procession of people -- all drenched in colours – converted the whole city into a sea of colours as Brijwasis sang and danced through the streets and thoroughfares and at temples and ghats, celebrating a festival that is said to have born in these very lands many centuries back.
In the nation's frontiers, the sentinels of the border are celebrating in high spirit far away from their families. There is nothing that can dampen the Holi spirit among the jawans.
While the very tradition of Holi usually revolves around Lord Krishna, in Karnataka, it's Lord Shiva who burns away the evil.
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In Bihar, singing, dancing and splashes of colours marked Holi. Bihari Holi is more famous for latkas and jhatkas. And add to that Bhojpuri Holi songs, it becomes an automtaic blast.
But one thing that is missing from Holi celebration in Patna this year is the famous 'kapda phad Holi' at 1, Anne Marg. Lalu Prasad, the earlier resident of this address, used to indulge in a rustic practice of tearing off clothes while splashing colour at his grand Holi bash.
The new occupant of the address, Nitish Kumar, has broken the tradition this time. He is celebrating Holi in a simple and low-key fashion.
In Gujarat, over 10 lakh devotees from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh visited the famous Ranchhodji Temple at Dakor town, about 45 km from Vadodra, and offered prayers on the occasion of Holi.
About 1,500 policemen were deployed at 28 points in the town for regulating the flow of devotees in the wake of terrorists attack at Varanasi.
Most part of eastern India, including West Bengali marked Holi on Tuesday and Santiniketan came alive with 'Basantotsav' (Spring festival) made famous by Nobel Laureate abindranath Tagore.
Ashramites in Tagore's abode of peace revved up Holi spirits with the customary dawn rendition of 'khol dwar khol, laglo je dol' (open the door, spring's here) as students, and teachers of Visva-Bharati took out the procession on the main thoroughfare of the university.
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At Delhi's Tihar Jail, mirthful songs rang through the air and there were colour splashes all around as the prisoners celebrated Holi.
Around 2,000 inmates of the prison, the largest jail complex in Asia, took part in celebrating the festival of colours, with the Director General R P Singh also joining in the celebrations.
"They congregated and celebrated Holi and there was song and dance. This is for the first time that such a grand celebration was organised in the jail," said Sunil Kumar, the Law Officer of the jail.
The inmates sang songs in Hindi and Bhojpuri and danced to the tune of the traditional Holi songs.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi have greeted the nation on the occasion of Holi.
Gandhi hoped that the year ahead would bring happiness, peace and prosperity and noted that Holi was an occasion to renew friendship, to forgive and forget the conflict and bitterness of the past.
The Prime Minister said the festival of colours provides an opportunity to forge new bonds and fellow-feeling among the citizens. The PM is, however, staying away from Holi celebrations. The PMO hasn't cited any specific reason for the decision.
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