Colours, water guns and contagious smiles: Holi spreads joy across Asia

Indian students play with coloured powders as they celebrate 'holi' or the 'festival of colours' during a special function in Kolkata on March 12, 2017. -AFP

Colours, water guns and contagious smiles: Holi spreads joy across Asia

The Hindu festival of Holi celebrates spring and the triumph of good over evil.

Dawn.com Published March 13, 2017

Holi, the festival of colours, was celebrated in Hindu communities across South Asia on Sunday and Monday with the traditional festivities, which include throwing colourful paint, powder and water on revellers.

The event began on Sunday evening and will continue till nightfall on Monday.

The Hindu festival is a welcoming of spring and a celebration of the triumph of good over evil.

Pakistani Hindu children celebrate holi in Karachi on March 12.— AFP

A Nepalese man with coloured powder on face dances during Holi festivities at the Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday.— AP

Indian Hindu devotees take part in celebrations for the Holi festival at a Temple in Siliguri on March 13. — AFP

Women from the Pakistani Hindu community smear each others faces with colour to celebrate Holi at a temple in Lahore.— AP

Indian youth play with colours during Holi celebrations in Chennai.— AFP

Indian revellers play with colours during celebrations for the Holi festival in Siliguri.— AFP

Pakistani youths pose with their faces covered with colour to celebrate Holi at a temple in Karachi.— AP

Indian youth play with colours during Holi celebrations in Chennai on March 12.— AFP

Men, whose faces are smeared with coloured powders, react as they celebrate Holi in Agartala, India March 13.— Reuters

Indian students play with coloured powders as they celebrate Holi.— AFP

A girl prepares to apply coloured powder during celebration of Holi, in Kolkata, India, Sunday.— AP

Indians dance on street and celebrate Holi in Kolkata, India.— AP

Indian children spray water during Holi celebrations in Jammu, Sunday, March 12.— AP

In Karachi, a human shield for Hindus celebrating Holi

'We're just tired of hate' — My social experiment on Holi in Pakistan

Why a public holiday on Holi isn’t enough

Comments (61) Closed

PKP

Mar 13, 2017 03:21pm

Thanks Dawn. Beautiful pictures of Holi. Cannot find such a beauty in pictures in Indian magazines!!!

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ksaexpat

Mar 13, 2017 03:22pm

Great to see Holi being celebrated in Pakistan. And hats off to DAWN for reporting this.

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Logical dude

Mar 13, 2017 03:23pm

Man hats off for this photograph's, will admit your photographers are damn good. Wish Indian media were anywhere closer.

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kerala

Mar 13, 2017 03:20pm

Thanks dawn. ..

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raja hindustani

Mar 13, 2017 03:34pm

Just Wow !!! Thanks Dawn for these wonderful pics.

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sagar

Mar 13, 2017 03:43pm

hope this holy will bring peace between Hindustan & Pakistan

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Indian true friend of beloved pakistan

Mar 13, 2017 03:48pm

Speechless. Awesome. Truly DAWN is always far ahead of other news websites. Perhaps the best in South Asia. Excellent reporting. I did not have idea that Holi is a public holiday in Pakistan too. Every thing is similar between us.Hope some day we will be one again.

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manish

Mar 13, 2017 03:47pm

Dawn ............ You are just too ahead on the game of printing photos

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Venkat

Mar 13, 2017 03:50pm

Great snaps. Keep it up

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Rajkrishnan

Mar 13, 2017 04:10pm

superb pictures by dawn... Love from India....

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Rajiv jha

Mar 13, 2017 04:11pm

Thanks a lot dawn.you are real Media who brings news that is untouchable by others.

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wellwisher

Mar 13, 2017 04:10pm

excellent photographs

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Rajiv jha

Mar 13, 2017 04:12pm

Thanks Dawn, you are real media who brings such news that untouchable by others.

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Mar 13, 2017 04:29pm

you r superb in SA on photography

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Deep

Mar 13, 2017 04:31pm

Awesome photos....great job Dawn

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Raj

Mar 13, 2017 04:47pm

Thanks Dawn,great gesture,,Happy Holiday to all .

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Rakesh Rai

Mar 13, 2017 04:48pm

Holi is being celebrated in Pakistan but No holiday for Holi in Bangalore. Shame on Government of Karnataka.

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Indian

Mar 13, 2017 04:50pm

In my area, people from all relegion has celebrated Holi. Indians are one in spirit, spirit of cultures, yours and mine.

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RAja

Mar 13, 2017 05:00pm

Great pics indeed. Though please note pics are used under license of AP, AFP, Reuters.

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Kaly

Mar 13, 2017 05:25pm

B'ful pictures, saying thanks to Dawn from across the border..

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Top cat

Mar 13, 2017 05:28pm

Happy holi to all the Hindus around the world.

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Bhaijaan

Mar 13, 2017 05:53pm

Kudos to DAWN!

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ashok

Mar 13, 2017 05:53pm

thank you dawn--

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Krishna

Mar 13, 2017 06:08pm

@Rakesh Rai because holi is alien to south india viz a viz pakistan. Its like asking holiday for ugadi in Delhi. Holi is a predominantly north western indian festival and not pan indian, definitely not south indian.

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Indian

Mar 13, 2017 06:16pm

Happy Holi

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Mar 13, 2017 06:22pm

The best picture I feel is of lahore women in white dress with child in lap and coloring woman with color plate.

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rajendra

Mar 13, 2017 06:24pm

Thanks DAWN for beautiful pics. I have never seen this kind of photography in any indian news papers (Dawn is the best in ASIA when it comes photographic coverage).

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True Story

Mar 13, 2017 06:34pm

Wow amazing. Thanks Dawn once again for such a beautiful collection.

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MUHAMMAD

Mar 13, 2017 06:46pm

Happy holi to all the hindus in the world esp my pakistnai hindu brethen. And kudos to DAWN for once again living up to its amazing iamges. The section would have looked even better had DAWN shared pictures from other countries as well ie Bangaldesh, Europe, North America Australia etc. as well as other regions of pakistan like hyderabad, tharparker, balochistan etc.

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Pakistani

Mar 13, 2017 06:52pm

Happy holly to the Hindu Community across the world.

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Ganesh

Mar 13, 2017 07:19pm

Really this must be the most colourful festival in the world. Beautiful

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nkk

Mar 13, 2017 07:34pm

Good to see this news which spread brotherhood among people.

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BP Singh

Mar 13, 2017 07:48pm

Out of the world pics of Holi festival across the region! Dawn - you are way ahead of others, including Indian journals, on a number of relevant issues. Keep it up.

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Sudhir

Mar 13, 2017 07:48pm

Lovely delightful pictures of holi colors. Job well done by thoughtful staff of Dawn. Happy holi to every fan of Dawn.

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GULREZ KHAN

Mar 13, 2017 08:10pm

Out of ashes of hate spread over past 100 years, Hindu-Muslim love and tolerance (learning from each other) should rise like a Phoenix, InshaAllah.

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vinod

Mar 13, 2017 08:35pm

AMAZING PICTURES. REALLY AMAZING. THANKS DAWN

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SUDHAKAR, USA

Mar 13, 2017 08:45pm

The greatness of Hindu festivals is that, our festivals tend to bring joy with simple things (of course commercialized now a days but..). No matter what ever repression faced, Hindus WILL celebrate their joyous festivals.

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Bharat

Mar 13, 2017 08:53pm

Awesome pictures of Holi celebrations across south Asia....it would have been even better wigh a few pictures from Bangladesh.Thanks for taking us on a wonderful journey of Holi festivities!

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Capricorn indi

Mar 13, 2017 09:01pm

Lovely pictures

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Mubarik

Mar 13, 2017 08:59pm

Wishing Happy Holi to all our hindu brothers and sisters across the world.

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sangun

Mar 13, 2017 09:03pm

Lovely pictures....who is the photographer?

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point of view

Mar 13, 2017 09:15pm

Wow...what amazing reporting by Dawn on Holi, simple superb...beautiful pictures...Thank you

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Mar 13, 2017 09:34pm

Happy Holi all!

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dilip Prasad

Mar 13, 2017 09:35pm

Thanks for excellent holi photos. Its really a pleasant surprise for me to see celebrating Holi in such huge enthusiasm in Pakistan. Really great

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Girish

Mar 13, 2017 10:46pm

Brilliant photos. Amazing!

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gknatarajan

Mar 13, 2017 11:20pm

as usual, this year also beautiful depiction of holi celeberations! thanks DAWN/

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Mar 13, 2017 11:16pm

Awww simply amazing Dawn.!! Even though living in India and having played holi..I came to know how beautiful it is only through your article & some amazing photographs. God bless..!!

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Oracal

Mar 13, 2017 11:58pm

Myriads of springs colors in spring brings joy and unity for greater things could come, it proves in only not my own but of others as well that in interpretations of life that we are one but if we are not we could be one.

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sfomann

Mar 14, 2017 12:19am

Amazing photography. Holi Mubarak to all my Pakistani Hindus and to all the Hindus around the world

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nick

Mar 14, 2017 01:48am

Real lively pictures,marvelous

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jay tuli

Mar 14, 2017 03:28am

Great photographs which I'm going to forward to many especially to those who don't like Pakistan.

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Asif A Shah

Mar 14, 2017 05:54am

Thank you for your coverage of Holi. It makes Hindu community feel that they are the part and parcel of Pakistan. In addition, it is conducive of peace between India and Pakistan.

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Mukesh Singh

Mar 14, 2017 06:38am

@PKP Lovely picture of Holi

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Mukesh Singh

Mar 14, 2017 06:38am

Beautiful picture of Holi

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Mukesh Singh

Mar 14, 2017 06:37am

Lovely and beautiful picture of Holi

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PakistanI

Mar 14, 2017 08:15am

Proud of dawn news they way they covered every event in pakistan and India and around the world.

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AGHA PASHA

Mar 14, 2017 08:13am

Well written. V nice photograph

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Sridhar Raghunatha Rao

Mar 14, 2017 08:31am

Beautiful photography. Very natural. Thanks for photographically taking to Karachi and Lahore which I crave to see in my lifetime

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K MANI

Mar 14, 2017 11:21am

Thanks Dawn....Great..

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K MANI

Mar 14, 2017 11:19am

Thanks Dawn...beautiful click...

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piyush

Mar 14, 2017 04:25pm

I always love to see Indian festivals thru Dawn's eyes. And have not been disappointed even once. The standard of reporting of Dawn is 100% better than Times of India and the league.

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