Hindu community revels with colours as Holi celebrations begin

The Hindu community across Karachi started Holi celebrations on Monday with the traditional enthusiasm associated with the festival of colours.

Various neighbourhoods of the city inhabited by the Hindu community such as Naraianpura, Shanti Nagar, Burnes Road, Saddar and Lea Market were decorated with colours and lights on the start of Holi where people of the community exchanged greetings and applied colours on one another’s faces.

Special prayers were held at various temples on the occasion. Members of other religions were also seen at the Shri Ram Swaminarayan Temple on MA Jinnah Road where one of the main Holi celebrations of the city is held. They participated in the Holi festival as a goodwill gesture.

The celebration at the temple began with cutting of cake and later women made the celebration colourful by daubing coloured powders on each other. Other temples in the city, including Mari Mata Mandir in the Old City area, Ram Pir Mandir and Shree Punch Mukhi Hanuman Mandir, Soldier Bazaar, and Shri Ratneswar Mahadev Mandir, Clifton, also held events on the beginning of Holi.

Earlier, the Sindh government had declared March 6 and 7 as a public holiday across the province for its Hindu employees on account of Holi. The festival of Holi signals the end of winter and arrival of spring, which is the season of happiness. The festival is characterised by colours as members of Hindu community daub each other with coloured powders such as ‘Abeer’ that is red vermillion powder, spray coloured waters, and distribute sweets.

The word ‘Holi’ derives its name from ‘Holika’ who was the sister of an evil king Hiranyakashipu. Both of them were defeated by the forces of good in a battle. The festival begins on the last full moon day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month Phalgun which comes in either the month of February or March.

Aseefa Bhutto, the daughter of the late Benazir Bhutto, extended her warmest greetings to the communities celebrating the festival of Holi. In her message, she termed Holi a joyous festival of colours that brought people of all the ages and backgrounds together. “It is a time to celebrate love, harmony and diversity, and to forget all our differences,” she said as she stressed the need for promoting religious and cultural tolerance in the country.

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also extended warm greetings to the Hindu communities in Pakistan as well as across the globe. “Being the only torch-bearer of the ideology of founding ancestors of our nation, PPP reiterates with its unwavering commitment to inter-faith harmony in the country,” he remarked.

Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs Gianchand Israni on the occasion of Holi distributed cheques among deserving women in the minority affairs secretariat. He said Holi was a festival for sharing happiness and love.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui in a statement congratulated the Hindu community living all over the world, including Pakistan, on the occasion of Holi. He said that the protection of minority rights had been guaranteed in Islam and the Constitution of Pakistan.

Sindh Culture and Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah also in a statement congratulated the Hindu community on Holi. The Hindu community living in Sindh for centuries was completely free to celebrate their festival with peace, he said.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah extended greetings to the Hindu community on the occasion saying that the Hindu community had played an important role in the development of Pakistan.

Political and social activist Dr Sham Sunder said the festival of Holi brought new colours to earth. “We have to be like colours so that our society can flourish,” he stated.

Karachi Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Labour Secretary Toqeer Ahmed greeted the Hindu community on Holi. Karachi PTI Minority Wing Central President Jai Prakash Lohana said the festival of colours would prove to be a festival of peace and harmony, comfort and prosperity. He asked the Hindu community to specially pray for the prosperity of the country.