Holi celebrated in Haryana, Punjab with gaiety

Chandigarh: Holi was celebrated in Haryana, Punjab and their joint capital Chandigarh with great fervour on Monday as children threw balloons filled with colourful water at each other while elders visited friends and relatives and distributed sweets.

All of them painted each others' faces with gulal.

While some revellers zoomed through the streets on motorbikes, others danced to music.

Durgiana Temple in Amritsar witnessed heavy rush on the day.

Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Banwari Lal Purohit, Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his Haryana counterpart Nayab Singh Saini extended Holi greetings to the people "The festival of Holi marks the arrival of spring and symbolises the victory of good over evil. As the onset of spring fills the environment with mystic charm and fragrance, may this vibrant festival of colour transcend across all social barriers and strengthen social harmony, bring joy, delight, hope and happiness in the lives of people of Punjab and Chandigarh," Purohit said.

Dattatreya urged people to celebrate the festival of colours with love, joy and compassion.

Mann on X said, "May God fill everyone's life with colours of joy and maintain mutual love and brotherhood," Nayab Saini, who celebrated the festival at his official residence here, said that Holi festival symbolises the victory of good over evil and appealed to the people to celebrate the festival in a true spirit of amity, goodwill and brotherhood.

ਰੰਗਾਂ ਦੇ ਤਿਉਹਾਰ ਹੋਲੀ ਦੀਆਂ ਆਪ ਸਭ ਨੂੰ ਬਹੁਤ ਬਹੁਤ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ... ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਸਭ ਦੀ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਖੁਸ਼ੀਆਂ-ਖੇੜਿਆਂ ਦੇ ਰੰਗ ਭਰੇ ਅਤੇ ਆਪਸੀ ਪਿਆਰ ਤੇ ਭਾਈਚਾਰਕ ਸਾਂਝ ਬਣਾਈ ਰੱਖੇ... pic.twitter.com/lCYGhf7nwC

— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) March 25, 2024

Haryana Minister Kanwar Pal, State Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta were among those present at Saini's residence.

Industrialist and former Congress MP Naveen Jindal, who joined the BJP on Sunday, met Chief Minister Saini and former Chief Minister Khattar here on Monday and greeted them on the occasion of Holi.

"Following the path shown by my father (late) Shri O P Jindal ji, politics has always been a medium of service for us," Jindal posted on X after meeting Saini.

Khattar celebrated Holi with party workers at the party office in Panchkula.

Police in the two states and Chandigarh had made elaborate arrangements to ensure a safe and joyous Holi.

A warning was issued against hooliganism, while traffic and local police were deployed at many places to check incidents of hooliganism, speeding and reckless driving.

Meanwhile, there was a huge rush of devotees for the Holla Mohalla festival of the Sikh community at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab.

They also offered prayers at the Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib.