Holi was celebrated in Punjab, Haryana and their common capital Chandigarh with traditional fervour and gaiety on Wednesday as people smeared 'gulal', threw balloons filled with colours on each other and exchanged sweets.
People visited friends and relatives, and gifted ‘gujias’ (a traditional sweet) besides smearing 'gulal' (colour powder) on each other's faces. Colours of all hues and the smell of gulal pervaded streets as people of all ages celebrated the festival.
'Holi Hai' rent the air as groups of revellers zoomed the streets on motorbikes while youngsters danced to popular numbers and children armed with 'pichkaris' chased each other and hurled water-filled balloons on people from rooftops. Some hotels and resorts had organised rain dance parties with snacks and buffets.
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Police in the twin states of Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh had made elaborate arrangements to ensure a safe and joyous Holi. A warning was issued against hooliganism, while special teams of traffic police along with police control room vans and local police were deployed at many places to check incidents of drunk driving, speeding and reckless driving.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar extended greetings to the people on the festival of colours.
