Holi was celebrated with great fervour and gaiety across Gujarat today, with revellers exchanging traditional sweets and a riot of colours enveloping the state.
However, stung by religious beliefs and keeping in mind local problems like water shortage, the festival of colours was celebrated somewhat differently in a few parts of the state.
As per TV footage, in Patan district, women who delivered their first baby boy ran a two kilometres stretch to reach the Varahi Mata temple.
They had taken a vow to run two kilometres and reach the temple after delivering a baby boy, an age-old religious belief here. These women firmly believe by doing so, their child would enjoy good health, a local said.
Self-styled godman, Aasaram Baapu, played Holi with his followers in Surat, allegedly wasting over 3,000 litres of water, when many parts of Gujarat face extreme water scarcity.
Refuting charges of wasting water, Baapu said there is no wastage of water here, as thousands of devotees would "benefit" from the colour sprinkled on them.
He claimed that politicians waste more water to ensure safe landing of their helicopters.
Due to water scarcity in the Saurashtra region, people in many parts of Junagadh district preferred to celebrate a dry Holi and revellers smeared colours on each other.
People of all age groups perched up on camel carts added a different hue to Holi celebrations called 'Duleti', in local parlance here.
As a riot of colours enveloped the state, rain dance parties organised by a few clubs here were a hit amongst youngsters, who danced to Bollywood numbers.
