Holi is a much-cherished festival in India. Rather, any festival is cherished in India, but Holi holds a special place in the hearts of the common people. Maybe it is because of its literally colourful nature, or the opportunity it presents to gorge on a wide range of sweets and of course, to taste the Bhang.
India is facing a rising number of coronavirus cases, with the country reporting over 62,000 new Covid-19 cases on two consecutive days (March 27 and 28). So, the various state government have decided to impose a curb on the Holi celebrations. Here are the states where 'Holi hai', but in a very subdued manner:
Maharashtra:
Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, the Maharashtra government has said that people should celebrate Holi in a simple manner and crowding should be avoided.
"The festival should be celebrated in a simple manner, observing social distancing norms and without coming together in any way given the increasing spread of Covid-19. Rang Panchami too should be celebrated in a simple manner," the government said in a statement.
The civic body in Maharashtra's Nagpur city has issued a notification banning Holi celebrations and Shab-e-Barat processions in public and private places.
Also read: Delhi Metro services to be available from 2.30 pm on Holi
According to an order issued by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, not more than five people will be permitted to gather at public places during the festivals on March 28 and 29. The district and civic authorities in Pune have also announced a ban on Holi celebrations in public and private places.
Delhi:
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has ordered that there will be no public celebrations in the national capital for upcoming festivals such as Holi and Navaratri.
Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev directed authorities to ensure strict compliance with the order.
"All authorities concerned will ensure that public celebrations and gatherings, congregations during upcoming festivals like Holi, Shab-e-Barat, Navaratri etc shall not be allowed in public places/public grounds/public parks/markets/religious places etc in NCT of Delhi," Dev said in his order.
The Delhi Police has appealed to people to avoid public gatherings on Holi and celebrate the festival at home in compliance with coronavirus guidelines.
Uttar Pradesh:
Uttar Pradesh government issued directives for the Holi festival, which emphasises the strict implementation of the anti-Covid measures and also stipulates that no procession or public programmes would be allowed without prior administrative permission.
Read more: Celebrate Holi at home, avoid public gatherings, Delhi Police appeals
The directive issued to all district and division-level officers said the Covid-19 testing of all those coming to UP during the Holi festival from the states reporting high numbers of infections will be necessary.
The directive also stipulated that organisers will not allow people above 60 or below 10 years of age or those having serious ailments to participate in the celebration of Holi.
Gujarat:
The Gujarat government has said that permission won't be granted for Holi celebrations due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in the state through the religious ritual of 'Holika Dahan' associated with the festival can take place with crowd restrictions.
"No permission is granted for the celebration of Holi. Action will be taken against violators. However, I believe the people of Gujarat will follow rules and will not play Holi," Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said.
Bihar:
The Bihar government has issued an order asking people not to congregate at public places on the day of the Holi festival.
The order issued by the Home department also said that the "minimum number" of people will be allowed to gather at one place during Holika Dahan, the ritual performed on the eve of the Holi festival and Shab-e-Barat.
The government order did not specify the minimum number of people allowed to gather.
It said that people should maintain Covid-19 protocol such as wearing a face mask, maintaining social distancing, using hand sanitiser while participating during Holika Dahan and Shab-e-Barat.
Telangana:
The Telangana government has decided not to allow public celebrations in the state during the coming religious events, till April 30, to prevent the spread of Covid-19, besides making it mandatory to wear face masks in public places.
In an order, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar observed that the number of Covid-19 cases has been showing a rising trend since the last few weeks.
He referred to a recent order of the Union Home Ministry providing for states to impose local restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus based on an assessment of the situation.
Noting that congregations pose a considerable threat of rapid transmission of Covid-19, the order said it is decided that public celebrations/observances should not be allowed in the state during upcoming religious events such as Shab-e-Barat, Holi, Ugadi (Telugu New Year), Rama Navami, Mahavir Jayanti, Good Friday, Ramzan and others till April 30.
Rajasthan:
Days after banning public functions on the occasion of Holi and Shab-e-Barat, the Rajasthan government has relaxed the ban and allowed holding them. The government, however, restricted the timing of holding public functions only between 4 pm and 10 pm on March 28 and 29.
The state government’s Home Department relaxed the ban on public functions through a revised notification on Friday. The government earlier on March 24 had ordered that no public function would be held on the two festivals due to the rising coronavirus cases.
In its new notification, the government, however, said no more than 50 people would be allowed to participate in these functions. The state government has also appealed to the people to follow all anti-Covid-19 guidelines and protocols like wearing face masks and maintaining social distance to stay safe from infection.
Jharkhand:
the Jharkhand government has issued guidelines and prohibits celebrations of Holi, Shab-e-Barat, Navratri, Ramnavami, and Easter at public places to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the state.
In a letter, the Chief Secretary of the state Sukhdev Singh on Friday said: "All celebrations and congregations at public places during festivals like Holi, Sarhul, Shab-e-Barat, Navratri, Ramnavami, Easter etc shall not be allowed in the state. People may celebrate Holi with family members in their respective houses only."
Karnataka:
The Karnataka government has issued an order not allowing public celebrations, gatherings or congregations during the coming festivals like Ugadi, Holi, Shab-e-Barat and Good Friday following a spike in Covid-19 cases.
In an order, Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar, who is also the State Disaster Management Authority's State Executive Committee Chairperson has directed authorities concerned to ensure that public gatherings and congregations during the upcoming religious festivals not be allowed in public places, including parks, markets and religious places.
It has asked the Commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP-city civic corporation), Deputy Commissioners, and authorities concerned to ensure strict compliance of the order and adequately inform and sensitise field functionaries in this regard.
The order also warns of action under the Disaster Management Act, IPC and Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, against those violating the guidelines.
Meghalaya:
The Meghalaya government on Thursday issued a new Standard operating procedure (SOP) for Holi celebrations amid the recent spike in Covid-19 cases wherein it banned public celebrations of the festival.
"SOP for Holi celebrations issued by the Home (Political) Department, Government of Meghalaya. 25th March 2021," the Department of Information and Public Relations of the state tweeted.
Haryana:
Haryana Home and Health Minister Anil Vij has announced in a tweet that the state government has banned public celebrations of Holi in view of the rising number of coronavirus cases.
Chhattisgarh:
Amid a rise in the coronavirus case, the Chhattisgarh government has decided to restrict the entry of people to tourist spots and banned social, political and religious programmes in the state capital Raipur.
As per the guidelines issued by the Raipur district administration, Holi celebrations or other public gatherings is prohibited, but ‘Holika Dahan’ is allowed to take place on the condition that a maximum of only five people will be present.
Goa:
The Goa administration has section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in both its districts, to prohibit public gatherings ahead of Holi, Shab-e-Barat, Easter and Eid-ul-Fitr festivals to control the spread of Covid-19.
The district collectors of both North and South Goa issued the order banning gatherings under section 144 of the CrPC.
(With agency inputs)