Hindu community celebrates Holi festival with fervour

SUKKUR: The Hindu community of Sukkur, Khairpur, Ghotki, Jacobabad, Kashmore-Kandhkot, Shikarpur and other cities of Sindh celebrated the annual religious festival of Holi on Thursday.
Community members sprayed colours on each other. Holi is regarded as the beginning of spring season. Colourful events were held in different localities of Sukkur region and temples of the Hindu community, where children and women also participated with warmth and religious devotion in the day-long proceedings.
Special ceremonies were held at Sadhu Bela Temple, situated on the Indus River, Liaquat Chowk Temple, Sukkur and Balmiki Sabha Temple of Saddar Mohallah Shikarpur, Station Road, Khairpur, Pakistan Chowk, Kashmore-Kandhkot, Mirpur Mathelo and other areas.
Students at the Ghulam Muhammad Mehar Medical College (GMMC), Sukkur, and other educational institutions also celebrated Holi by spraying multiple colours. Muslim students and teachers also celebrated the event. Renowned Surgeon Dr Dharam Pal said the object of Holi is to celebrate the Spring season after winter. He said on the mega event, they pray in the temples for prosperity of Sindh and Pakistan.
He said this event for Hindu community is just like Eid celebrations. He said multiple colours like green, red, purple, yellow and others are signs of peace, love, prosperity, development. He said the community people send gifts of flowers, sweets to the Muslims, which is duly reciprocated.
There were tight security measures at temples and in the city for the occasion. Shaheed Zulifqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), Larkana Campus, marked the spring festival of Holi. Students throw colour powders at each other. A large number of students and faculty members participated in the event and celebrated and welcomed the spring season. Other features were music and dancing.
Organiser of the event and head of the Campus, MB Soomro, told journalists that the objective of arranging such events was to promote interfaith harmony and extending social ties. SZABIST students had also celebrated Basant Mela to welcome the spring season on Wednesday in front of the Campus premises.