The vibrant colourful festival of Holi was celebrated with gusto across India, with special focus on Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana in UP, the land of Lord Krishna. In Gorakhpur, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath led the traditional Narsingh Shobhayatra and said,”no country in the world has such a diverse and rich tradition as Sanatan Dharma, which is the soul of Bharat”. For the first time, Holi was celebrated on Thursday by students of Aligarh Muslim University, even as Muslims performed their Ramzaan fast. In ten districts of UP, prominent mosques were covered with tarpaulin to prevent miscreants from throwing colours. In Sambhal, UP, Holi was played in Kartikeya Mahadev temple inside a Muslim-dominated locality after a lapse of 46 years. In 1978, more than 200 people were killed during communal riots that took place in Sambhal after the murder of an Islamic cleric. Hindus had fled the locality and after four decades, this temple, which was lying unused, was reopened. On Friday, Holi was played till 2 pm and at around 2:30 pm Muslims performed their Ramzan prayers. Holi is not only a festival of colours. The festival promotes friendship. Anybody having enmity can bury differences at the time of Holi festival, by applying colours and hugging each other. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s appeal to Hindus to observe Holi with restraint and respect the feelings of others has worked. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav tried to add political colour by alleging that BJP wants to divide society on communal lines. At a time when the dates of Holi and Ramzan Friday prayers have clashed, leaders should refrain from making political capital out of it.OPINION | How Yogi ensured a peaceful Holi during Ramzan
The vibrant colourful festival of Holi was celebrated with gusto across India, with special focus on Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana in UP, the land of Lord Krishna. In Gorakhpur, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath led the traditional Narsingh Shobhayatra and said,”no country in the world has such a diverse and rich tradition as Sanatan Dharma, which is the soul of Bharat”. For the first time, Holi was celebrated on Thursday by students of Aligarh Muslim University, even as Muslims performed their Ramzaan fast. In ten districts of UP, prominent mosques were covered with tarpaulin to prevent miscreants from throwing colours. In Sambhal, UP, Holi was played in Kartikeya Mahadev temple inside a Muslim-dominated locality after a lapse of 46 years. In 1978, more than 200 people were killed during communal riots that took place in Sambhal after the murder of an Islamic cleric. Hindus had fled the locality and after four decades, this temple, which was lying unused, was reopened. On Friday, Holi was played till 2 pm and at around 2:30 pm Muslims performed their Ramzan prayers. Holi is not only a festival of colours. The festival promotes friendship. Anybody having enmity can bury differences at the time of Holi festival, by applying colours and hugging each other. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s appeal to Hindus to observe Holi with restraint and respect the feelings of others has worked. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav tried to add political colour by alleging that BJP wants to divide society on communal lines. At a time when the dates of Holi and Ramzan Friday prayers have clashed, leaders should refrain from making political capital out of it.
