Nation

Holi 2023: India Rebounds From Pandemic As People Celebrate Festival Of Colours With Fervour

March 7, 2023
Bharat Times

Holi 2023: The time of year has come when red becomes green, blue mixes with yellow, white meets pink and people separated by borders, are united by colours. Yes, it’s Holi- the festival of colours, happiness, friendship, love, music, dance and everything that one can think of. The festival which originated in India has now reached further corners of the world uniting people and binding them with the message of peace and harmony.

People immerse themselves in shades of different colours and look alike sending the message of how similar we all are irrespective of our origin, race, gender, or anything and everything that divides mankind. This year, Holi will be observed on Wednesday, March 8th. However, the enthusiasm for festivities always arrives earlier and so do the celebrations. People across India have begun enjoying coloruful ambience around them. The energy is more than ever because this will be the first time since the Covid pandemic that the festival will be celebrated in its full glow.

From kids to elders, Jammu to Kerala, Gujarat to Assam – Holi has coloured everyone and every place.

Now, from the gloominess of the world of news and information, we take you to the lands of colours, smiles and happiness. Behold the mesmerizing and vibrant India.

We begin with the happy faces of our Border Security Force (BSF) personnel from Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba. The saviours of India from all border threats enjoy the Holi festival with their peers.

The ‘Josh’ of our armed forces is undisputed. Coincidentally, this Holi and International Women’s Day are being observed on the same day. This celebration of our women officers of the Border Security Force near the International Border in the RS Pura sector of Jammu, defines both occasions perfectly.

Here are people playing colours with their friends and family in the town of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.

When one talks about Holi, it becomes obvious to look for the celebration in the holy towns of Mathura and Vrindavan. The places witness to ‘Krishna Leela’ and Radha-Krishna’s eternal love that painted Holi with immense pure love.

Devotees play with colours at Sri Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan. The picture is similarly beautiful in Gokul – where Lord Krishna spent most of his childhood.

With the colours of Holi, here comes a powerful picture busting age-old myths and notions about widows in the country. Often subjected to cruelty in the name of societal rules, widows enjoy Holi with colours and flowers at Gopinath Temple in Vrindavan.

Krishna is not complete without Radha. Their eternal love made the emotion divine and the same happened with Holi. The festival of colours transcended to develop itself into the emotion of love.

Women beat men with sticks during traditional ‘Lathmar Holi’, in Barsana, a way to show love amid the festivities.

Artists dressed up as Lord Krishna and Radha perform during flower Holi celebrations at the Govind Dev Ji temple in Jaipur. Take a look.

As mentioned earlier, Holi is a festival for all. Every year, a large number of foreigners celebrate the ethos of Holi in India or in their homeland. Here is a video of foreign tourists playing colours with locals in Rajasthan’s Jaipur in an event organised by the State Govt’s Tourism Dept. So much colour in the Pink City indeed.

Here’s how residents are observing the festival at the seaside in Mumbai and other areas of Maharashtra.

Youth in Jammu enjoying Holi with funny face masks.

Here students dance during ‘Basanta Utsav’ celebrations ahead of the Holi festival, in Murshidabad district in West Bengal. Images of celebrations are also in from Nadia in Bengal.

Holi with ashes, a tradition in Varanasi, is in these pics. People celebrate Holi at the Manikarnika Ghat, in Varanasi.