Hindus celebrate the festival of colours

Holi festivities this year have been toned down due to situation in India, say community members

KARACHI: The vibrant festival of Holi was celebrated in pockets of the metropolis on Monday, bringing young and old alike together in the festivities.

The majority of Hindus living in the older parts of the city celebrated the religious holiday in their neighbourhoods, showering colours across areas including Seetal Das Compound, Wavri an Wajhara Compound in Moosa Lane, Club Compound near Kakri Ground, Baghdadi, Kumbhar Wara, Kamal Gali, Saifi Lane, Swami Narayan Temple and other localities.

"This is a festival of love and triumph," asserted Dr Jaipal Chhabria, a political activist. "It is the festival of farmers and of the business community, who celebrate it as the beginning of their new seasons," he added.

According to Dr Chhabria, many of his friends and relatives had decided to celebrate the festival with simplicity. "This is because of the prevailing situation in India," he explained. "However, our friends and colleagues from other communities have still sent us warm wishes," he said, adding that many political leaders had also felicitated the Hindu community on the occasion, sending gifts for the annual holiday.

"We wanted to celebrate Holi in an open ground at first," stated Mohan Lal, a member of the Maheshwari community. "But our Muslim brothers in India are being tortured, so we cancelled the event."

Speaking to The Express Tribune, he too said that the festival was being celebrated with love and affection, without being overshadowed by class or skin colour.

Sunita Rathore, another activist present at the festivities at Swami Narayan Temple, said her family, friends and colleagues shared their success and love on the occasion without any discrimination. "This is a moment of happiness. The festival of love has no religion, no colour."

Recalling childhood memories of Holi in her village, Rathore said that though the past celebrations were wonderful memories, she now understood the true meaning of the festival.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2020.