Hyd'bad drenched in joy of festive hues

Hyderabad: The city came alive on Monday as Hyderabadis soaked in the many colours of Holi and indulged in festivities all through the day. Across the city, scenes of festivity were on full display as revellers poured on to the streets to smear each other with Gulal. Children with their pichkaris (water balloons) seen running across the street.

The city reverberated with chants of ‘Holi Hai’ in the air as youngsters on bikes zoomed across the city. The annual exams notwithstanding, the festival of colours was celebrated with the usual fervour. From Begum Bazar to Begumpet, LB Nagar to Lal Bazaar, people of all ages came together to celebrate the festival of colours with true spirit of friendship and togetherness.

While the entire city was soaked in colours, the revelry on the streets of Dhoolpet, Begum Bazaar, Goshamahal and other older parts of the city was boisterous with revellers grooving to tunes of Bollywood hits and throwing colours at each other.

Various areas in the city turned into bustling spots as youth wore kurtas with pagidi. Begum Bazaar wore a festive look as traders and locals basked in colours and greeted with each other.Some thronged Charminar to spice up Holi celebrations.

The Marwadi community came out in large numbers especially in the Old City which has a sizable population.

Women, children and elders were seen celebrating in Puranapul, Lal Darwaza, Ghansi Bazaar, Hussainialam, Char Kaman, Karwan, Chatrinaka, Gulzar Houz, and other areas.

Sweet shops did brisk business. Many housing societies and residential complexes organised lavish feasts. In Sindhi Colony in Secunderabad too people gathered in GHMC parks and on the streets near Paradise junction. Divya Khatri, a resident of Lal Bazar, said “All our friends and neighbouring families played together. Irrespective of caste, colour and creed, once they are here, we drenched them in colour.”

“The festival commenced after the HolikaDahan. This is an important occasion for us, as friends from our community wish each other good luck. All the families and neighbours took part in the Holi celebrations held at Begum Bazar,” said Anil Neelam, a resident of Begum Bazar.

Earlier, the members of Rajasthani community at Kolsavadi, Begum Bazar came together and celebrated the festival.

The annual Holi ‘Barat’ procession covers 1.5 km of Begum Bazar. This annual procession that has been continuing since the last 29 years, kicks off the Holi celebrations in the Begum Bazar.

Only eco-friendly colours were used for the celebrations in Kosalvadi. Avinash, a member of the community said “Herbal colours extracted from keshu flowers, khusfibres, herbal gulal, palash flower and scents were used to smear along the route of the procession,” said Avinash.

The Telangana Bengali Samithi and Ghansi Bazaar Bengali Samithi also participated in the festival. The Hyderabad City Police made elaborate arrangements to ensure a safe Holi with police personnel being deployed across the city.