Sonia meets school children on Holi

March 12th, 2009 MUMBAI - Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan stayed away from Holi celebrations and so did others for various reasons. But the day brought colours to the lives of many actors who took off from work to be with family and friends.

March 12th, 2009 PATNA - Two men were shot dead and 28 injured in clashes in Bihar's Chhapra district over the manner in which Holi was being celebrated, police said Thursday. Govind Yadav and Narayan Yadav were killed in the clashes that followed an argument over the throwing of mud on people on Holi in Asani village, about 90 km from here.

March 12th, 2009 BIKANER - With Holi or 'Festival of Colours' just around the corner, celebrations have started in full swing across India. The festivities known, as 'Dolchi Holi' in Bikaner is unique and distinct from other places as it is organised as the day of reconciliation between two particular Hindu castes who lived as foes for generations.

March 12th, 2009 KOLKATA - Students and teachers of Rabindra Bharati University celebrated Holi with great fervour and enthusiasm. Dancing to the tune of Tagore's song, they applied colour on each other in the true spirit of festival of colours.

March 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday played Holi with physically and mentally challenged children here. A large number of children from the Masoom Special School, visited 10, Janpath, the official residence of Sonia, to celebrate the festival.

March 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Even though most of the politicians refrained from playing Holi, Delhiites Wednesday celebrated the festival with enthusiasm. Amidst chants of 'Bura na mano, Holi hai' (Don't mind, its Holi), people of all age groups danced to the beat of drums and smeared one another's faces with colour.

March 12th, 2009 KOLKATA - Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly participated in a childrens Holi programme on Tuesday, which was organised at his wife Dona's dance academy. Dona, who is an Odissi dancer, runs 'Diksha Manjuri' in Kolkata.

March 12th, 2009 ALLAHABAD - A tribe of milkmen community celebrated Holi, the festival of colours, with milk, curd and butter during the weekend. They worship Lord Krishna as their family deity and thus celebrate the festival using his favourite items - milk, butter, curd and Chhach (butter milk).

March 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani did not play Holi Tuesday to express solidarity with victims of the Mumbai terror attack and their families.

March 11th, 2009 MUMBAI - A large number of foreign delegates gathered here to discuss the perils of smoking ended up celebrating Holi, heaping colour on their Indian colleagues and enjoying every moment of it. It was the first time many of the foreigners got introduced to Holi, thanks to the initiative of the organisers of the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health that ends Thursday.

March 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In her message on Holi and Eid-e-Milad, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi Tuesday underlined the ideals of peace and brotherhood. 'This occasion (Holi) has special significance in the centuries-old cultural heritage that propagated the unity of mankind, tolerance and compassion.

March 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Even though superstar Amitabh Bachchan is not celebrating Holi in remembrance of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack victims, most TV and film celebrities plan to enjoy the festival of colours with their family and friends. While some actors like Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan and Salman Khan are busy working on their projects, many feel the festival has given them a much-needed break.

March 11th, 2009 BOKARO - There is one village in Jharkhand that will not celebrate Holi Wednesday. They have not celebrated the festival for 150 years, fearing a natural calamity if they do so.

March 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - It was a Holi of a different kind for 40 children suffering from cancer as they showered flowers on each other, danced to popular Bollywood Holi numbers and collected gifts before leaving for hospital for their treatment. The children from the cancer hospital of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Monday took part in Holi celebrations organised specially for them at a daycare centre being run by NGO CanSupport.

March 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan has announced he will refrain from Holi celebrations in remembrance of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack victims. 'Holi, the festival of colour and rejoicing, and music and dance, is around the corner.