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Holi 2019 Celebration LATEST updates: While the country celebrates festival of colours with zeal and enthusiasm, Bollywood stars have tweeted out fans to have a safe Holi. On the occasion of Holi, there are several Hindi film actors including Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Esha Deol and others took to social media and sent Holi wishes to their fans Residents of a neighbourhood in the Bihar capital this time have put up effigies of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed in the streets for torching them as part of a Holika Dahan ritual. A placard each have also been slung around the necks of the two effigies, bearing the slogan ‘Pakistan Murdabad’. In Mumbai’s Worli, locals put up a giant effigy of Masood Azhar, clad in white and holding up an assault rifle, on top of a haystack. While Saeed, the head of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and mastermind of the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack is a designated terrorist, a fresh move has been made at the UN to designate JeM chief Azhar as a global terrorist. Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister Yogi Adityanath reached his home district, Gorakhpur to celebrate Holi. He mentioned that the traditional festival of the county is a symbol of social harmony. President Ramnath Kovind, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and leaders of various political parties greeted the countrymen on the occasion of Holi and wished everyone’s happiness and prosperity It’s well established by now that the Mumbai Police Twitter handle does a great job of sharing important messages through quirky tweets. This Holi, they took to Twitter to instruct citizens to have a responsible festival, prioritizing safety at first. This year, celebrations have been preceded by hostilities near the border, which followed the 14 February Pulwama terror attack. Leaders of several political parties, including Rajnath Singh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Arvind Kejriwal, will not be celebrating Holi on Thursday as a mark of respect to the CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the attack. The CRPF too will not celebrate the festival. There has already been a Google Doodle to mark the occasion as most of the country gears up to deck itself in colours. The celebrations have already begun in some parts of the country, with people smearing vibrant colours on each other, relishing _gujiya_s and delicious _malpua_s, not to forget thandai, especially ones laced with bhang. Mythologically, the two-day celebration of Holi, this year on 20 and 21 March, has great significance. While the first day is also observed as Holika Dahan , signified as the victory of good over evil; the second day, Badi Holi or Dhulandi, is said to mark the welcoming of spring and a festival of harvest among farmers. Holi is celebrated with its trademark uniqueness every year. So, as the country comes together to celebrate one of India’s most popular festivals – and one that has formed a huge part of Indian representation in pop culture globally – here are snapshots of what happened on Holi in India and around the world.
Holi 2019 celebration updates: Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Deepika Padukone urge fans to have a safe festival
Holi 2019 Celebration latest Updates: Bollywood stars including Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Esha Deol have tweeted out fans to have a safe Holi
 "Holi 2019 celebration updates: Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Deepika Padukone urge fans to have a safe festival")
Himachal Pradesh: Students celebrate Holi with locals at University College of Business Studies
In a tweet by ANI, exchange students from Afghanistan are seen celebrating the festival of colours with locals at Shimla.
Himachal Pradesh: Afghanistan students celebrate #Holi2019 with locals at University College of Business Studies, Shimla. pic.twitter.com/xjmDZ8q8zd
— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2019
Deepika Padukone tweets out Holi greetings to fans, wishes for good mental health
Anginat indradhanush haathoN meiN laayi Holi/ Naachti gaati naye roop mein chhayi Holi/ Laal neeley harey naarangi gulabi dhaani/ RangoN meiN doobi huyi jhoomti aayi Holi .. Javed Akhtar pic.twitter.com/vEtdU7ezaz
— Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) March 21, 2019
Anil Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan and other Bollywood stars send their wishes on Holi
Bollywood actors including Madhuri Dixit Nene, Akshay Kumar, Soha Ali Khan and Hrithik Roshan on Thursday sent out Holi wishes to their fans, urging them to enjoy a safe and happy festival of colours.
Let the colors of Holi spread happiness, peace and love all around! Wish you all a very #HappyHoli! pic.twitter.com/dAWBavWHMj
— Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) March 21, 2019
आज तो रंग बरसेगा क्यूँकि आज होली हैं.... 😘 Have a happy & safe Holi folks😍🤩🥰 Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do 😜 Love you loads .. xoxo #रंगबरसे #Ting #HappyHoli #HoliHai #Holi2019 pic.twitter.com/WnlAN9ciOC
— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) March 21, 2019
Let the vivid colors of Holi spread love and happiness. Hope you all enjoy and treasure some joyful moments 😊#HappyHoli
— Mahesh Babu (@urstrulyMahesh) March 21, 2019
Happy Holi!! pic.twitter.com/eW9UCN7foc
— Madhuri Dixit Nene (@MadhuriDixit) March 21, 2019
May the spirit and colors of Holi fill you with happiness, peace and love. Happy Holi beautiful people. #HappyHoli
— Hrithik Roshan (@iHrithik) March 21, 2019
T 3125 - होली का त्योहार है , रंग भरी ख़ुशित्यों की, बौ-छार है
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) March 20, 2019
दिल, घर, भरे आपका
संपन्न रूप हो सबका
प्रार्थना जो दिल में ढले
ध्यान उन सब को भी मिले
प्राणो की आहुति दे ,जन, देश, प्रति, जो सब, हो-शियार हैं ।। pic.twitter.com/HuyVA3XdmW
Happy holi!! ❣ pic.twitter.com/JwzfPiLrhO
— Soha Ali Khan (@sakpataudi) March 21, 2019
Arvind Kejriwal shares a throwback picture from his IIT days
Delhi chief minister took a memory down the lane by sharing a Holi picture from his IIT days.
Hahaha. Holi when we were at IIT... https://t.co/kvpQuD882s
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 21, 2019
Madhya Pradesh: Visuals of Holi celebrations from Bhopal
People dance, enjoy music and smear colours on each other’s faces, and all of this encapsulates the festival of colours. Here are some of the photos from the state of Madhya Pradesh.
Madhya Pradesh: Visuals of Holi celebrations from Bhopal. #Holi2019 pic.twitter.com/377ZKR19lP
— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2019
Effigy of Masood Azhar burnt for Holi In Mumbai
An effigy of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and others depicting online game PUBG were seen in the city, which were later burnt as part of the Hindu festival of Holika Dahan. Holika Dahan is a festival celebrated just before Holi by burning an effigy of Holika, the devil.
Mumbai: 'Holika Dahan' effigy of Jaish-e-Mohammed's Masood Azhar and an effigy depicting PUBG, in Worli, ahead of #Holi . pic.twitter.com/UINHOchp9C
— ANI (@ANI) March 20, 2019
Holi 2019: Effigies of Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed burnt in Patna
While burning ‘Ravana’ in a Holi bonfire is a common sight every year, residents of a neighbourhood in the Bihar capital this time have put up effigies of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed in the streets for torching them as part of the festive ritual. The Pakistan-based JeM had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack in February which killed 40 CRPF soldiers.
“People from the local area have put effigies to show solidarity with the spirit that terror activities originating from Pakistani soil would not be tolerated by India and its people.” said a local witness.
Bonfires are put up on the eve of Holi as a part of a festive ritual to symbolically burn ‘Holika’ or perform ‘Holika-dahan’ by setting afire wood, dried leaves, twigs and other inflammable articles.
PTI
Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Yuzvendra Chahal convey Holi greetings
Sportspersons took to their respective social media handles to send heartily wishes to their fans on the occasion of Holi.
Wishing everybody a very happy festival of colours. #Holi
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) March 21, 2019
Happy Holi everyone 😊 pic.twitter.com/FGY4CtWHR8
— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) March 21, 2019
Let colours fill your life with happiness. Wishing you all a very #HappyHoli 💦 #PlaySafe pic.twitter.com/MOJQZwELQ6
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) March 21, 2019
Happy Holi to everyone! Let’s celebrate the vibrant hues, the beautiful relationships and the joyous laughter. Here’s a glimpse of my Holi with some of my friends at @MuveAcoustics 😊 #Holi2019 #MuveAcoustics #MajorFrenzyFeels
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 21, 2019
Check out the link below -https://t.co/TXov9mP6vi pic.twitter.com/N1XfnZ1y91
Rajasthan: Foreign tourists celebrate with locals in Jodhpur.
The country is celebrating Holi with the traditional fervor. The festival, usually held over two days, is celebrated by splashing colours, dancing and munching sweets.
#WATCH Rajasthan: Foreigners celebrate #Holi2019 with locals in Jodhpur. pic.twitter.com/uBRjUvBSJe
— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2019
Mayawati tweets out Holi greetings to people
BSP party chief Mayawati took to social media to greet people on the occasion of Holi. She also reminded citizens to fulfill the constitutional obligation of voting in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Warm & heartfelt greeting & best wishes on the occasion of Holi. Celebrate Holi with full festivity but try not to forget poor around you to double the happiness & also also cast your invaluable vote to fulfil the constitutional obligation as LS elections is on in the meantime.
— Mayawati (@Mayawati) March 21, 2019
Yogi Adityanath’s message on the eve of Holi
In his message on Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said that the festival of Holi is a symbol of our glorious tradition, heritage and diversity.
होली के शुभ अवसर पर संदेश। pic.twitter.com/CZJgHVu3Im
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) March 21, 2019
Yogi Adityanath celebrated Holi with RSS leaders in Gorakhpur
Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister Yogi Adityanath reached his home district, Gorakhpur to celebrate Holi. He mentioned that the traditional festival of the county is a symbol of social harmony. Like most festivals, Holi also teaches us to follow the path righteousness, he added.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath at RSS Holi celebrations in Gorakhpur. #Holi2019 pic.twitter.com/2FMDI2wZez
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 21, 2019
M Venkaiah Naidu greets people on the eve of Holi
The Vice-President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu took to twitter to convey his wishes on Holi. In a message written in Hindi, he said he extends his gratitude to the courage of soldiers and efforts of farmers for the country.
होली के शुभ अवसर पर देशवासियों को हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं देता हूं। वासंती प्रकृति के अनुपम सौंदर्य में सामाजिक सौहार्द, समृद्धि, सहिष्णुता और समरसता का रंग मिलाएं। होली के इस पावन अवसर पर किसानों के श्रम और सैनिकों के शौर्य को प्रणाम करता हूं। उनको तथा उनके परिजनों को मेरी शुभकामनाएं pic.twitter.com/SxFnO9beY3
— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) March 21, 2019
Rahul Gandhi wishes citizens on the account of Holi
Congress President took to Twitter and wrote in Hindi,“Wishing my best wishes on behalf of me and my entire Congress people on the auspicious occasion of Holi to you and your family.”
आपको और आप के परिवार को होली के पावन अवसर पर मेरी और मेरे समस्त कांग्रेस जन की ओर से हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 21, 2019
होली का यह त्यौहार आपके जीवन को खुशीयो के रंग से सराबोर कर दे , मेरी ईश्वर से यही कामना है।#HappyHoli 🌈
Ram Nath Kovind conveys his greetings on the occasion of Holi
President Ram Nath Kovind took to Twitter to convey his wishes on Holi. He wrote in hindi, “May the confluence of colours bring positive energy to all our families and our shared society.”
होली के शुभ अवसर पर भारत और विदेश में रह रहे सभी देशवासियों को बधाई एवं शुभकामनाएं। रंगों का त्योहार होली वसंत का और समाज में सौहार्द का उत्सव होता है। मेरी कामना है कि यह उत्सव सभी के जीवन में शांति, सुख और समृद्धि लाने वाला हो — राष्ट्रपति कोविन्द
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 21, 2019
Narendra Modi greets people on the event of Holi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his wishes on Thursday on the occasion of Holi. Modi tweeted in Hindi, “I hope this festival of joy and happiness unite the people of all sections.”
होली के पावन पर्व की सभी देशवासियों को ढेरों शुभकामनाएं। हर्ष और उल्लास का यह त्योहार हमारी एकता और सद्भावना के रंग को और प्रगाढ़ करे। pic.twitter.com/glZ6eQHaoe
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 21, 2019
Chhattisgarh: Visuals of Holi celebrations from Raipur
The celebrations have already begun in some parts of the country, with people smearing vibrant colours on each other. Here are some photos from the state of Chhattisgarh.
Chhattisgarh: Visuals of Holi celebrations from Raipur. #Holi2019 pic.twitter.com/CFM7Nw3Mu8
— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2019
Gujarat: Holi is celebrated using tomatoes, in Ahmedabad
At Gujarat, people have found some innovative ways to celebrate the festival of colours.
Gujarat: Holi being celebrated using tomatoes, in Ahmedabad #Holi2019 pic.twitter.com/eJDkz4MOuf
— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2019
Don’t let treble become a trouble this Holi! Colours, not noise, make the right choice #SayNoToNoisePollution pic.twitter.com/8WtiZF0Pc5
— मुंबई पोलीस - Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) March 20, 2019
Mumbai Police takes to social media to provide a safety advice for Holi
Our famously woke Mumbai Police has took to Twitter to instruct its citizens to have responsible Holi. The post has attached a safety #BuraNaManoSafetyHai hashtag to it.
A holi-day like no other! Have a safe and happy Holi, Mumbai! #Holi2019 #BuraNaManoSafetyHai pic.twitter.com/urssbSCwqR
— मुंबई पोलीस - Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) March 21, 2019
VK Singh to skip festival as mark of respect to Manohar Parrikar
Indian politician Vijay Kumar Singh took to Twitter to convey that he won’t be celebrating Holi in the wake of Pulwama attacks. He also mentioned that the untimely death of Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar is another reason to skip the festival of colors.
My family & I are not celebrating Holi this year owing to the sadness that engulfs us in the aftermath of the #PulwamaAttacks & #ManoharParrikar Ji’s untimely death
— Gen VK Singh (@Gen_VKSingh) March 21, 2019
However,I do hope that the year ahead is filled with the colours of joy & success for you & your family. #Holi2019
Union Minister Piyush Goyal wishes on the account of Holi
Piyush Goyal took to Twitter to convey his wishes on the festival of colors.
सभी देशवासियों को होली की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं। यह उत्सव हम सभी देशवासियों के जीवन को हर्ष, उल्लास के रंगों से भरे, तथा सभी के बीच मे प्रेम और सद्भाव का संचार हो । pic.twitter.com/s8QOM9ANXL
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) March 21, 2019
Kesari actor Akshay Kumar took to Twitter to convey his wishes
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar took to social media to wish on the occasion of Holi. He also mentioned Navroz Mubarak on the account of Parsi New Year.
May this Holi add more colors to your life. Wishing you all a very #HappyHoli and Navroz Mubarak as well :)
— Jolly Mishra - Asli Jolly from Kanpur (@akshaykumar) March 21, 2019
Arvind Kejriwal to skip Holi as ‘a mark of respect’ for Pulwama soldiers
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will not celebrate the Holi festival tomorrow as a mark of respect for the martyrs of Pulwama terror attack, Aam Aadmi Party posted on its official Twitter handle on Wednesday. On 14 February last month, a CRPF convoy was attacked by Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists. Around 42 CRPF jawans were killed in the attack.
ANI
Delhi Chief Minister @ArvindKejriwal will not celebrate the Holi festival tomorrow as a mark of respect to the martyrs of Pulwama terror attack.
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 20, 2019
People celebrate at Bankey Bihari Temple in Vrindavan
People of Vrindavan celebrated festival of colours in full swing at Bankey Bihari Temple on the auspicious day of Holika Dahan or Choti Holi. They gathered at the temple, which is dedicated to Lord Krishna.
Mathura: Visuals from Bankey Bihari Temple in Vrindavan. #Holi2019 pic.twitter.com/YWucX1msR9
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 21, 2019
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