Lucknow awash with colours on Holi

LUCKNOW - Amid ecstatic shouts of ‘Holi hai’ and drumbeats, people here celebrated the festival by splashing ‘gulal’ and throwing water-filled balloons on friends, family members and even strangers.

It was a riot of colours in several localities including Aliganj, Indira Nagar, Vikas Nagar and Kalyanpur as people gathered on the streets to mark Holi, which heralds the beginning of spring.

Youngsters rode motorbikes throwing ‘abir’ and ‘gulal’ in the air. Many others danced as they drenched others in coloured water or smeared colours on people’s faces.

“I started playing Holi at 6 a.m. My younger brother was the first on whom I applied the colours,” Uttam Kumar, a Class 11 student and resident of Aliganj, told IANS.

Traditional delicacies like gujia, Khumra and pua were in demand.

“Of all the festivals, Holi is the most exuberant and playful,” Anjali Srivastava, principal of a Lucknow school, told IANS. “It has its special significance. Even enemies forget their animosity to play Holi.”