Boys taking part in a traditional pot breaking competition during Holi celebrations in Dharwad on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The cultural and educational centre of North Karnataka, Dharwad city, got drenched in myriad colours on Wednesday with thousands of people from different age groups coming out in large numbers to celebrate the festival of colours Holi.
For the last three years, Dharwadians, like residents of other towns and cities, did not have a chance to celebrate Holi festival as they used to do because of the pandemic and lockdown. Now, with life returning to normal, the residents of Dharwad celebrated the festival with zeal on Wednesday.
Like it has been during normal days, the celebrations began early in the morning with children indulging in revelry armed with pichkaris and water balloons. They were joined by young girls and boys, with elders of the families joining them a little later. However, with exams close by, it was a clear “no no” for students of SSLC and II PU in the city.
With elections round the corner, several political leaders organised rain-dance events in various localities, including KCD Circle, Subhas Road, Sangam Circle, Jayanagar and Maratha Colony. Traditional pot breaking competitions were also held in some localities as part of the celebrations.
As usual, young boys and girls roamed around the city riding their two-wheelers, visiting and greeting their friends and acquaintances and smearing colours on their faces. Some families went around the city in their four-wheelers to greet their friends and acquaintances.
The beats of the drums reverberated in the older localities of Dharwad, while youngsters danced to the thumping DJ music in extension and commercial areas of the city. On the day of the festival, vendors selling colours and pichkaris and those selling halage (traditional drum) recorded good business.
As it has been a ritual, the idols of Rathi and Manmatha were taken out in a procession before the effigies were set on fire. An additional attraction in the city this year were competitions on beating drums and folk song rendition and the winners were given prizes.
As a precautionary measure, the police had made elaborate bandobast, while the sale of liquor was prohibited. However, some revellers had made their own arrangements in advance to ensure adequate supply during the revelry. The celebrations concluded peacefully without any untoward incident.
In Hubballi, only in a few localities, including Vidyanagar and Old Hubballi, people celebrated Holi as a majority of them [in Hubballi] celebrate the festival on Ranga Panchami (fifth day of the festival) which falls on March 11 (Saturday) this year.
